


what I wouldn't do

by Asuia_of_the_deep



Category: One Piece
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Female Monkey D. Luffy, Me: It's Free Real Estate, Oda: Doesn't give Zoro a backstory, Roronoa Zoro-centric, Unplanned Pregnancy, Zoro's not entirely human in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2020-03-07 12:02:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 88,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18872827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asuia_of_the_deep/pseuds/Asuia_of_the_deep
Summary: for you.Monkey D. Ace was born to a mother who would be King and a father with ghosts in his eyes.(In which fate is, and will always be, that which is inescapable, inevitable.Immortal.)





	1. Prologue

_Prologue_

There was a child in Impel Down.

She was brought there just a few days ago, flanked by an envoy of the Marine’s best, under the ever-watchful eyes of Sakazuki. They had slapped cuffs on her - he had ordered it - not on her wrists, but around her neck; she was so small that restraints that would normally fit an adult limb was just right for her to wear as a collar.

The other inmates stared eagerly as they marched by. Entertainment was scarce in the most secure prison in the world, after all.

The little girl looked scared. Her eyes, when she stole furtive glances at her surrounding, were the colour of dark emeralds. They glittered with unshed tears.

Down and down they went. Past the first floor, past the seas of thorn and fire and ice, further down still to the deepest floor, where hell’s monsters prowled quiet and angry behind bars, guarded by the three admirals, the Cerberus to their Tartarus.

 _Did you hear?_ Inmates from the upper-levels whispered. _That’s the child of the future King._

 _They say her father is the Devil himself,_ some added.

 _They put sea-stone on her because she is born of the sea,_ chimed in someone else.

_The colour of Conquerors. At such a young age!_

_A scion of that accursed family._

_Demon spawn._

Rumours around her swirled and swirled, a tempest of susurrus, until they reached the cell at the furthest back where she was pushed in. The padlocks clanged shut behind her; all eighteen of them.

A small, terrified child.

She curled into a ball at a corner and clutched at her thin clothes. There was a scar under her left eye. It looked new. The cuff around her neck had chaffed a blistered, weeping line around her skin.

And finally, alone in the bowels of hell, the little girl, this pretty pretty little princess-to-be, wept as silently as she could.

 


	2. the times, they're a-changin'

**Part I**

_Six years ago_

Faint sunlight filtered through the windows of the captain’s quarters early dawn. Zoro, still more asleep than awake, shifted. Luffy was a tangle of limbs above him. He curled more tightly around her, unwilling to give up the last vestiges of sleep, and she gave a sleepy snort in response. Drowsily, Zoro buried his face into her neck. She smelled of the sea as usual, of waves under the bright noon sun, if that could be a smell. Despite how small his action was, Luffy started to stir. Her fingers clenched slightly on his chest and when she rose, her nose brushed against Zoro’s.

Zoro finally cracked his eye open, past the hazy cobwebs of sleep, and came face to face with a very ruffled -looking Luffy. Her hair stuck up entirely on one side and there were imprints of his shirt on her cheeks. She blinked slowly when she saw that Zoro was awake and she gave him a smile – that guileless, lazy morning smile that he loved. It bloomed on her lips like sunlight from behind a cloud and Zoro unconsciously mirrored it, helpless.

“I had a dream about steak,” was the first thing out of her mouth.

Zoro groaned. He rolled away from her and smothered himself with a pillow.

Luffy cackled, her laughter still muted from sleep. She turned to bury her face in Zoro’s back.

“What?” she teased. Her legs came up to lock him against her so that he couldn’t get away.

“Go away, Luffy,” Zoro mumbled. He thought they were having a moment, but of course she was thinking about food.

Luffy flopped herself entirely on top of him, unwilling to be ignored. He could feel her giggling against him still. They stayed like that for a while. He knew she was looking to get a rise out of him but Zoro was too stubborn to give in to her. It was too early to deal with Luffy’s brand of mischief anyways.

Luffy hummed softly, her fingers traced small random patterns on his skin. “You woke me up from my steak-dream,” she finally accused, though Zoro could hear the smile in her voice.

Zoro rolled his eyes. “You have a steak-dream every other day anyway.”

“This one was special,” Luffy insisted. She sat up and started gesticulating enthusiastically. “This steak was huuge! Like – like a mountain! Reverse Mountain even! Can you imagine? And you were there, and Nami and Sanji and the rest, and Torao and his crew and Shanks and everyone!! And we had to finish the steak ‘cause it was an eating-contest and the winner gets to be the Pirate King! But then we had to go hunt for the Reverse Mountain- steak first and –“

Zoro sighed. Guess he wasn’t going back to sleep anytime soon.

 

It was hard to believe sometimes, that this was his life now. Sure, most of the world was after them, that they had more enemies now that they can count. Sure, it seemed everything in the New World was out to get them, from the native aquatic life, to the weather to the very sea itself. Sure, there was still an entire ocean between them and One Piece, that his dream was still a peak away.

But during days like these, when the sun is out and the sea was calm for once, and when the only disturbance in the air was the slight breeze blowing and the tinkling sound of Chopper and Usopp’s laughter as they chased Luffy around in a new game they’d just come up with, Zoro couldn’t help but feel content, if oddly sentimental. This was…this was more than what he’d dared to hope for when he was a lonely child. He’d always believed in his fate, that he’d become the World’s Greatest; but to have others around him to chase that dream with, to have people that he’d come to cherish as much as his ambition – he didn’t realise how much fuller his life would be with them in it. He’d never known how much he had needed it.

Zoro set down his barbell and wiped the sweat off his face with a towel. Luffy had grabbed onto the mast in an effort to stay away from Chopper and Usopp and as she was flipping herself right-side up, their eyes met over the rigging. Her smile widened immediately into a soft, fond thing and she gave Zoro a cheerful wave from beside the sail, beside their jolly roger – the symbol of their dreams.

Completely involuntarily, Zoro felt himself soften. Yes, this was more than enough.

 

_But fate is a strange, strange, thing, isn’t it, Roronoa Zoro? It gives and gives and takes and takes and takes and takes and takes. Beware, ye who stray from its path, eh?_

_Fate has given you a family. What would you give in return, o child of mine? An eye? Your life? Your dream – that very essence of your being?_

_Let us see, shall we? First, fate brings you an offering – an unexpected gift._

_The times, they’re a-changin’._

He couldn’t put his finger on it, but somethin’ felt off.

It’d been that way for several weeks now. It wasn’t anything too alarming, life was still relatively normal. Well, normal for them, at least. They sailed, made land, wreaked havoc for a few days, scrambled to get off said island, rinse and repeat. Along the way, Luffy fought gods and kings, and by the time they’re on their way again, she’d left whole nations in their debt. The usual.

It was just – something didn’t feel right. Instincts he’d honed over years whispered to him of change. It wasn’t…threat, per se. Something was telling him to be ready. To be prepared, but he wasn’t sure what for. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand at completely random times, made apprehension thrum beneath his skin.

That feeling got stronger whenever he looked at Luffy. The wind smelled of change.

They were on an island, one of those rare, smaller ones in the New World where the residents were mostly made of civilians. They were pretty used to pirates, though, and were more than happy to trade stories and goods with them.

Luffy had wanted to go exploring, of course, and Nami had put him on baby-sitting duty that day to try and curb whatever disaster Luffy would inevitably cause.

Zoro didn’t know why she trusted him to do that. He could count the times he could stop Luffy’s whimsical impulses on exactly two fingers. Maybe it had more to do with the rest of their crew having some kind of errand to run, and he was the only one without a job that afternoon.

He was trailing behind Luffy as she flitted from stall to stall in an open-air market. The food there was incredibly varied, probably due to it being mainly a trading port, albeit a small one. Luffy’s cheeks were already bulging with food. She made him think of chipmunks when she was like that.

Something down the street caught his eye. “Hey, Luffy, they’re selling barbecue right there,” he told her, nodding at its direction. Luffy turned around to look, and sure enough, there was a stall selling what looked like a big chunk of meat being slowly rotated in an open oven. The owner was slicing pieces off of it to put in buns.

Luffy’s eyes sparkled. She swallowed and immediately grabbed his hand to head right to that coveted stall. She may have knocked over a couple of people in her eagerness.

“Gimme everything you have,” she demanded of the poor stall-owner. She made it sound like she was robbing him.

The old man stared back and forth from Luffy to him in confusion. “Everything?” he asked.

“Everything!” Luffy confirmed, drooling already. Zoro rolled his eyes and fished the money out of his pocket pre-emptively. Nami had given him Luffy’s share of pocket-money when they landed. His was withheld because he was still paying off the debt he owed her, apparently.

The store-owner, to his credit, recovered fast enough. He must be used to dealing with weirdos on a daily basis, considering all the pirates that passed through here. “Sure!” he said brightly. “Do you want it with our special sauce? Chili? Mangos?”

“Everything,” Luffy stressed again, impatient.

The owner obligingly got to work. With practiced ease, he carved up all the meat he had left, then he opened a jar and stirred its contents with a ladle. Whatever was in it smelled tangy and spicy– their special sauce, Zoro presumed.

Shit, it did smell pretty good. Maybe he could steal one from Luffy.

All of a sudden, Luffy let go of his hand. She clamped a hand around her mouth, looking queasy. Zoro raised an eyebrow, “You ok?”

Luffy’s face was green. “The sauce smell,” she complained.

Zoro’s frowned. He had seen Luffy devour food that was years past their dates. The last time she was hungry, she’d eaten obviously poisonous fruits she’d found with gusto.

However, the longer the store-owner stirred the jar, the greener Luffy got. She looked ready to just book it. From meat.

From. Meat.

Zoro squashed down his unease, for now. “Maybe hold the sauce,” he told the store-owner.

 

A few days later, the Strawhats got into a fight. Nothing much, just some punks wanting to make a name for themselves.

They’d laid a gangplank between their ship and _Sunny_. Their leader – a weird looking guy with pin-striped moustache (?)- gave a shout of triumph when he landed on their lawn and his crew echoed with a cheer. What they didn’t know was the Strawhats had let them board because Luffy was itching for a fun brawl, and the rest of the crew had no choice but to go along with what she says because she was the captain. Such was their life.

The sky was soon alit with human fireworks.

Their attackers called themselves the Stripebeards (??) and they were honestly the lamest crew Zoro had met that week. Honestly, how had they survived long enough on the Grand Line to make it to the New World?

Somewhere to his right, Nami set off a lightning strike. Chopper charged past him in his reindeer form, a Stripebeard trapped on each horn. The air swelled with the sounds of clanging steel and Brook’s cheerful jig. Zoro struck one of them down with Shusui’s hilt, already bored.

It happened suddenly. Zoro’s attention snapped to the deck where Luffy was fighting off three of them at once. Another one had climbed onto the railings, glinting rapier in hand. He was about to jump onto Luffy.

Luffy didn’t notice. Haki confirmed it.

Zoro sprinted, his heart in his throat. The Stripebeard leaped off the railing and Zoro _flew_.

The Stripebeard swung his rapier and just inches away from Luffy, Zoro cut him down.

Luffy turned in surprise at the action. The three she was fighting were groaning at her feet. Zoro didn’t realise how heavily he was breathing; that bastard was about to slice Luffy’s head right off.

And she didn’t notice.

His face thunderous, Zoro tossed Luffy’s whimpering attacker into the sea.

 

Zoro was furious afterwards, of course. “You should’ve been more careful!” he scolded hoarsely.

“I was!” Luffy defended. Her lips pursed, the way they always did when she was feeling guilty. The others hovered around semi-anxiously. At the side, Chopper had clutched onto one of Robin’s legs and she put a soothing hand on his hat. It wasn’t often Zoro got legitimately angry at their captain.

“He was _this_ close, Luffy. What if I wasn’t there?”

Luffy put on a pacifying smile and reached for his hand. “But you’re always there,” she tried, looking up at him with big eyes. Zoro narrowed his eyes. He knew what she was doing, but he wasn’t letting this go that easily.

“Maa maa, everything worked out in the end. Luffy didn’t get hurt, and you showed that you’re actually worth keeping around, moss-head,” Sanji drawled. Zoro glared at him. The hand holding Luffy’s tightened.

But shit, that had been way too close for comfort. What if Luffy had actually been taken down by some no-name? What would become of their dreams? This wasn’t a pirate game they’re playing here.

And this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened recently. Luffy had seemed more absent, less aware of her surroundings. She tired easily. It wasn’t anything major before this. She managed to hide it pretty well, but Zoro had noticed anyway. He hadn’t said anything because he figured even Luffy could have off days.

Zoro looked down at his captain. While he’d been in the last stages of his teenage growth-spurt when they’ve met, Luffy had stayed the same size. Now, she was almost a whole two feet shorter than he was. She smiled up at him, trying her best to reassure him. The pad of her thumb grazed his hand. Despite himself, Zoro felt his anger start to melt away.

He sighed. Guess he’ll just have to stick closer to Luffy than normal until whatever funk she was in blew over. “Just be careful, alright?” he told her, trying to maintain at least a semblance of reproach in his voice.

Luffy beamed, “Of course!”

 

One fine morning, Luffy nearly kicked Zoro out of the bed when she scrambled out of it. The door to the room slammed open and shut a while later. Zoro took advantage of Luffy’s absence to roll back onto a more secure area on the bed where he was less prone to falling off. As he was about to drift back to sleep, Luffy came back to bed. Her clothes were slightly wet.

Zoro reached out and held her close against him.

“Everything good?” he mumbled.

Luffy nodded, her hair mussed. “I threw up a little,” she admitted. That explained why she was wet; she must have washed up after.

Zoro started rubbing small circles on her back. “Must be that…thing we told you not to eat yesterday,” he said.

Luffy made a _bleggh_ face and Zoro snorted in response, “Told ya so.”

Her nose scrunched up at that. “But I’ve been eating whatever I wanted since forever. This is the first time I’ve thrown up from it.”

Zoro looked down at her in surprise. That’s…actually true. He’d seen Luffy ingest all matters of garbage since he’d known her but he’d never seen her getting sick from it. Even when she’d eaten poison, she’d just walk around looking queasy for a day or two.

“And I’ve been feeling, I dunno, kinda off lately?” Luffy added and buried herself deeper into Zoro’s chest. “T’was why I couldn’t feel that guy the other day,” she said in a small voice. “Everything’s fuzzy-looking.”

The hand on Luffy’s back stilled. “You’re sick?” he asked. He was clueless about what it’s like to get sick. Luffy too, if he was being honest. Sanji liked to say it was because they’re both idiots, and idiots don’t get sick apparently.

Luffy shrugged in his hold.

“Ya know, Chopper’s a dang good doctor. I’m sure he’s good for something other than patching up sword cuts and treating blood loss,” he said. Those two were pretty much the only reasons either Zoro or Luffy stepped foot into the infirmary nowadays.

Luffy brightened. “Yea! You’re right! I’ll ask him after breakfast.”

 

Zoro forgot all about this until well after breakfast. He was in the observation room up above, working on his kata when Luffy came in. She stayed at the door for a while, just watching, which was unlike her.

He finished with his set and sent her a questioning look. Luffy actually looked hesitant. She had half hidden herself behind the door, probably unconsciously. Zoro raised an eyebrow at her.

“Uh,” she started. She rocked on her heels a bit, fidgeting. “I have…something to tell you…?”

Zoro went closer to her and Luffy ducked further a bit behind the door. At this, Zoro frowned and stayed where he was.

“What is it?” he asked, trying to temper down his growing unease. Luffy had never hesitated to tell him anything before. This was the girl who would unthinkingly give him a report about poop – hers or otherwise – even when unprompted, regardless if he was a willing audience or not. He couldn’t imagine what she was finding hard to tell him.

“Ahh I – uh, I don’t know how to say this, haha,” Luffy said. She was actually _wringing her hands._

“Just spit it out,” Zoro suggested. He’d barely managed to stop himself from snapping at her but it was a near thing. Her nervousness was making him on edge.

Luffy bit her lips. Then, gathering whatever wits she had left, she looked up at him through her lashes, and said, “Immahaveababy.”

…

Zoro’s brain short-circuited, “You…what?”

“I’m..having a baby.”

“A baby.”

“Uh-huh.”

Zoro couldn’t help himself. He reached out to touch Luffy’s tummy. _It doesn’t feel different_ , Zoro thought, panicking. “Are you sure?” he asked her. He hated how his voice was quivering. Shit.

Luffy nodded. She covered Zoro’s hand with her own absently. “Uhn,” she said. “Chopper did tests and everything.”

“And it’s…mine?”

Luffy stared at him like he was an idiot. “Zoro’s being stupid,” she declared. “Of course it’s yours.”

“Right, of course,” Zoro agreed. His heart was pounding. Why the fuck was his heart pounding?

Luffy gave him a wobbly smile. That was perhaps the thing that made him draw Luffy closer; the fact that she was unsure about this the way she wasn’t about anything ever. Zoro closed his arms around her, providing comfort even when the beginnings of terror gnawed at his entrails inside of him.

Luffy rested her hands on his chest and a part of Zoro relaxed too. Sometimes he’d forgotten that the providing comfort thing worked both ways.

They just stood there for a while. Zoro put his chin on her head. “Are we…keeping it?” he asked finally into her hair.

Luffy looked up into his eyes. “I want to,” she said earnestly. “It could be fun! It’ll be like – like a new adventure.”

Zoro stared at her. “Fun,” he repeated.

“Yea!” she enthused. “I can’t wait to teach it to be a kickass pirate! And Robin can teach it to read and Franky will build it super cool toys and Nami and Sanji will be the scary aunt and uncle and Brook can be the weird grandpa and Usopp and Chopper would love playing with it!” Zoro just nodded along numbly.

Then, Luffy looked down, suddenly shy. “And I just…love the thought that it’ll grow up being part me and part Zoro, ya know?”

And shit, there was nothing Zoro could say to that, is there? He grazed his thumbs over her hips and sighed, “Alright.”

Luffy’s eyes went wide. “Alright?” she asked, giddy.

Zoro gave her a tiny smile. “Alright,” he agreed. He’d never imagine doing anything else the moment Luffy dropped that bomb on him.

Luffy gave a celebratory whoop and did a funny wriggly jig in his arms. She threw her arms around his neck and snuggled into his chest.

“Your heart is beating really fast,” she mumbled after she’d settled down. “Are you ok?”

Zoro willed himself to relax. He placed a kiss on Luffy’s temple. “I will be,” he said.

“We’ll be fine,” Luffy promised him solemnly. “We’ll do this together.”

…and Luffy was right. They’ll be fine as long as they were together. Zoro would move heaven and hell for this girl. Everything he’d endured; every cut, every gaping slash, all their pain – an angry red, floating thing – every two-years apart; all the impossible things they’ve done, they’d done it and they’d managed and thrived, came back stronger, because they were together. Zoro tightened his arms around her, breathed her in, this girl who was sunshine incarnate, the embodiment of his very dreams.

 _Together_. He thought.


	3. on the fear of stars

The next thing they had to do was to tell the crew.

It went over about as well as Zoro thought it would.

They were at lunch with the rest. Luffy was positively vibrating with energy beside him. She hadn’t even attempted food-theft yet, so excited that she was. All Zoro could do was to brace himself for what he knew would be an inevitable onslaught. He caught Chopper being much, much quieter than usual. The poor reindeer was trying his best not to make eye contact with anyone. He was the only one besides him and Luffy who knew about the…about it since he examined Luffy earlier, and he wasn’t used to keeping secrets.

Sanji finished distributing dishes. Just as everyone had more or less settled down, Luffy blurted out loudly, “We’re having a baby!!!”

…you could hear a _fucking pin._

“What??” Nami, the first one to come to her senses, screeched.

Robin sipped at her tea sedately. “Congratulations, captain,” she demured. Franky echoed her sentiments and Brook _yohohoho_ -ed in agreement.

“I’m sorry,” Usopp said brightly. “Could you please repeat that? I could’ve sworn-“

“I’M SO GLAD I DON’T HAVE TO HOLD THIS IN ANYMORE,” and that was Chopper, crying tears of joy/ relief. “But I’m so happy for you guys!”

Sanji was the last one to get over his shock. When he did, he turned to Zoro and shook him by his collar. “How dare you do this to her, you marimo!?? My poor, poor Luffy, she who was as pure as an unplucked daisy.” He sobbed, “How dare you?”

“WHEN??” Nami screeched again. She reached out to Luffy as if to check for signs of pregnancy but realised at the last moment she didn’t know what to do. Her hands hovered around the general area of Luffy’s abdomen instead. Luffy let her, laughing.

“It’s been a little more than two-months,” Chopper piped up, and Zoro froze. He was _not_ privy to that piece of information. The hamster running circles inside his head went faster.

Franky started making weird poses excitedly. “That’s more than enough time to prepare. Just you wait, Luffy, I’ll make your kid the best goddamn cot in the world. We can make it shoot lasers if you want!”

“Why the hell would a cot need to shoot lasers?” Usopp asked bewilderedly. A very reasonable question, Zoro thought. He was still being throttled by the shit-cook who’d stopped speaking coherent sentences in favour of blubbering now.

Robin put down her teacup. The tinkling sound it made against her dish cut through the rowdy argument taking place abruptly. “Well,” she said, careful and serious. “It could be a matter of defence.”

The crew turned to her tone of voice. Robin swept her blue eyes over all of them. “The world will not stand quietly by if they knew Strawhat Luffy was with child. The marines certainly had no qualms hunting down children before. What difference would an unborn one make when its mother is vulnerable?” she continued, her smile sad and full of knowledge earned from personal experience. The cacophony in the room paused as the crew, sans Zoro, digested this.

Zoro’s fist clenched. He’d thought about this. The marines would definitely be after them now – well more than they were – and rival crews would not pass up the chance to take Luffy down when they knew, and if what happened in the fight the other day was any indication, Luffy would be more or less incapacitated.

He plucked Sanji’s slackened fingers away from his collar. “We need,” he said. “To plan.”

And they did.

 

_O the plans of mice and men; what are ye in the face of fate?_

_Yes, Roronoa Zoro. Plan. Try. Fight. You mortals and your plans; Sisyphus and his rolling stone._

_Fate is, and will always be, that which is inescapable, inevitable._

_Immortal._

The plan was thus:

  1. Act normal for the first few months.
  2. Double back to safe, ally islands when Luffy started to show.
  3. Head to Fishmen Island for the actual birth.



The goal was to stop anyone from figuring out that Luffy was…indisposed. It was simple. It could work. It at least cut down Zoro’s maddening anxiety to a tolerable degree.

This whole pregnancy thing was driving him out of his fucking mind. God.

He’d always been protective of Luffy, same as the rest of their crew, but Luffy was Luffy and she would do whatever she wanted. No one could stop her from going on an adventure that ‘looked interesting’. She’d ring bells, burn flags, depose gods and punch dragons in righteous fury and she’ll be reckless and headstrong and naïve and impulsive until the day she died. She made Zoro feel like freedom was a constant reality; that fate was in the palm of their hands, to be moulded like clay the way Prometheus made Man.

It was what Zoro loved about her. It was also what woke him up in the middle of the night. 

Luffy was the wind. Zoro usually let her do whatever she wanted, went along with her silly schemes because this way he could watch her back while she did it. He would follow wherever she led; whether it was raiding the fridge for midnight snacks or declaring war on the world. Behind her, he would traverse all of hell with a grin on his face.

But he had to put his foot down this time.

They had a run-in with the Marines a week later. Both of them were in an inn at some random town. Chopper came with them because he’d practically glued himself to Luffy nowadays. He was giggling with her at their booth about something as they waited for their potpies when a Marine squadron showed up.

Zoro flicked his eyes over to them, a bottle of sake in his hand. Otherwise, he said nothing; they were none of their business unless they were looking for a fight.

The Marines didn’t spare them a glance. They headed straight to the bar stools instead. The waitress came soon after to serve them their food and Luffy immediately became engrossed. Chopper had stilled. He took small bites of his meal and was very obviously trying not to look at the Marines.

Things were silent for a while. Zoro took a swing of his drink –

“Captain!” one of the Marines gasped, pointing a damning finger at them. “That’s Strawhat Luffy and Pirate Hunter! They even have their weird pet with them!”

Luffy looked up, her mouth full of crumbs. The wariness on Chopper’s face fell away at once. “I’m not their pet! And I’m not weird, stupid!” he cried, offended now.

Zoro put down his sake resignedly. The Marines were starting to make their way towards them and the captain came face to face with Luffy. “I’m definitely not Luffy. Nope nope,” she denied unconvincingly, spraying pot pie everywhere.

The captain glared. Chaos ensued.

Zoro and Chopper took care of the underlings. Their opponents at least offered a decent work-out – they were less of a joke the squadrons in Paradise were. Chopper was doing well; he’d improved a lot since they’d entered the New World and he wasn’t that cowed in a fight anymore. Zoro was proud of him.

Luffy was facing down with the captain. He had some kind of Fruit that allowed him to absorb blows and return it, and he was pretty adept at using it. When Zoro and Chopper were done with their lot, Zoro turned to watch their fight from the side, arms crossed.

The captain’s fists started to glow black red with Haki and the power of his Devil Fruit. Luffy aimed a punch at his head, which he avoided by ducking down. He pulled back his arm, fists ready –

Luffy grinned ferally, confident in her abilities to take it as always–

The hit connected. On Luffy’s stomach.

Luffy was thrown back, surprised and winded. She let out a pained gasp. Her arm curled around her middle.

Zoro saw red.

 

Luffy was alright, Chopper confirmed. And so was the baby.

The same could not be said of the Marine captain, after what Zoro had done to him.

They were at the outskirts of town where there was less chance of anyone overhearing their conversation. Chopper was finishing up with Luffy’s check-up. He’d said quietly that Luffy was very much likely unharmed only because of her Devil Fruit. Zoro still had his arms crossed. He didn’t want to think about what his face looked like right now, because even Chopper was too scared to look at him. Luffy kept stealing worried, guilty glances at him.

Chopper was finally packing away his instruments. He’d started bringing around a new one that he’d never needed before, an ultrasound or something (“A Doppler,” Chopper had informed them once, whatever that meant) that allowed him to check on the baby’s well-being. The thought of it made Zoro’s blood boil more. Everyone was trying so hard to keep Luffy safe and healthy. Even the shit-cook had started making dishes with difficult, precious ingredients that would cater specifically to Luffy’s…condition. And this _idiot_ , she just –

Zoro seethed.

Luffy stood up and went to his side. “Zoro?” she said, voice small. She tried to take his hand but he pulled away at her touch. She looked at him, eyes wide with hurt.

Zoro’s eyes narrowed to slits. “What did I tell you, Luffy?” he growled, still trying to rein in his anger.

“To be careful,” Luffy said. She scuffed her sandals in the sand.

“And what were you doing back there?” he asked again.

“I…wasn’t being careful.”

Zoro let the silence stew. If he talked without thinking, he was going to say something he was going to regret, he could just tell. Chopper had stood to the side and was pretending to fiddle with his tools to give them the semblance of privacy.

Finally, Zoro drew in a deep breath and said, “I don’t think you should fight anymore for a while.”

Luffy drew back. “What?” she asked.

“What do you mean, ‘What’?” Zoro bit out through clenched teeth. “If you can’t be careful when you fight, clearly you shouldn’t be fightin’.”

Luffy glared. “But I can’t just – not fight! I’m the captain! And you can’t stop me!”

“God knows I can’t, Luffy!” Zoro barked, his temper truly lost. Chopper flinched. Luffy remained undaunted. “Sometimes you’re too _fucking selfish for your own good._ ”

Her face went dark. The air turned slightly metallic with the taste of Haki, the edge of which simmered beneath Luffy’s skin. “I fought,” she said lowly, “Because Chopper was there. I can’t not fight to protect the crew.”

“I was there too,” Zoro countered. He felt like rage had clouded his head, made it hard to think. “I could have taken care of it.”

“But it’s not your job,” Luffy replied hotly. “I’m the captain, so it’s mine! If I don’t fight, what good am I to the crew? _You_ are not the captain so it’s none of your damn business!”

“Well if you still want to fight so goddamn much,” Zoro snarled. “Maybe you _shouldn’t keep it_!”

Luffy’s face froze. Zoro’s heart stopped.

_Shit._

The moment he realised what he had said, Zoro wished he could take it back. He reached out to her, but this time it was Luffy who pulled back. “ _Luffy_ –“

Luffy’s face was unreadable. Without a word, she turned to walk back to the ship.

 

Everyone gave him the stink eye when he stepped aboard the ship. Even Chopper had looked at him reproachfully on the way back. Nami glared at him from under her _mikan_ trees and Robin gave him a smile that promised the pain of death should he not try to fix this. Sanji had to be held back by Usopp and Franky. Only Brook could bear to be semi-civil to him it seemed. When Zoro asked him where Luffy was, he nodded stiffly towards the library, then promptly walked away.

The library…Zoro winced. That was where Luffy liked to go to hide when she didn’t want to talk to anyone, because she thought no one would look for her there, despite him, Sanji and Usopp having Observation Haki.

He opened the door slowly to give Luffy the warning that he was coming in. She was curled up in a small place behind the armchair, wedged beside the fireplace.

Zoro crouched down to look at her. “Hey,” he said softly.

Luffy turned away. Before she did, Zoro caught a glimpse of her eyes. They were shiny. Shit.

He moved the chair a bit so he could squeeze in beside her. “Luffy,” he tried again. “Luffy, I’m sorry.”

Luffy didn’t reply. She backed up as much as she could against the wall, to get as far away as possible from Zoro. That just broke his goddamn heart.

“I…I didn’t mean what I said,” Zoro told her, desperate. “I was just so angry that it…slipped out.” No response. “Luffy. Lu, I’m sorry. Please say how I can make up for this.”

Luffy, though still partially hidden behind the arms propped on her knees, looked up at him. Her eyes were red. Fucking shit. He never imagined he would make Monkey D. Luffy cry.

“I’m sorry, too,” she said, at length. “I…shoulda’ remembered, to be extra careful, since…my body’s all weird now.”

Zoro opened his arms. “Come here, please?”

There was a beat where Luffy just stared at him, when he thought Luffy was going to reject him again, but then she went to him slowly, and carefully, she crawled into his lap. Zoro closed his arms as tight as he could around her. He wished he never had to let go.

Luffy’s fingers curled around his collarbones. Her nose against his neck gave a shuddering breath. Zoro buried his face in her hair and kissed her shoulder. The silence around them finally grew comfortable, or at least, it wasn’t awkward anymore.

Zoro opened his mouth. He closed it at the last moment, hesitant, but no. If he didn’t say what was on his mind, what happened with the Marines today could happen again.

So, he gathered his courage. “Can we…compromise?” he said. “You still fight, but use long-range attacks from now on. Anyone who gets too near to you, I’ll cut down. You hafta remember, even though you’re still rubber, you can’t take hits as well now.” He’d realised too, that Luffy can’t stop fighting completely, or people would be suspicious.

Luffy thought about this, and nodded. The intensity of the relief that washed through Zoro surprised him. He placed another kiss on Luffy’s neck, held her tighter.

After a while, so quietly he had to strain to hear her, even as wrapped up in each other as they were, Luffy asked him, “Do you really think I shouldn’t keep the baby?”

Zoro closed his eyes, pained. Luffy sounded so, so hurt.

He’d…never wanted this. But he’d never wanted to be a part of a crew either, and now he would willingly die for each and every one of them, Luffy most of all. He’d wanted the…baby because, Luffy had wanted it, because it seemed to make her happy, but now…

“’course not,” he said. “I want this. Together, remember?” he asked, promised; an oath all over again, for all that there wasn’t a sword pointing to the sky.

Luffy finally, finally, smiled. “Together.”

 

It took the rest a while to forgive him. It made life on a ship uncomfortable, to say the least, but they all did, in the end.

Then, a new rumour started circulating that the Pirate Hunter was being more protective of his captain than usual. Zoro smirked when he heard.

 

_And months passed and the world turned and stars blinked in and out of existence._

_As eternal as they are, the stars still die. Do you think stars fear death, o child of mine?_

_Ah, life. Such transience; the gods blink, mountains rise and a thousand men fall._

_What chance does Man have if even the immortal stars fade? Why do we try, Roronoa Zoro?_

 

The stars were really pretty tonight.

The sight was such that Zoro figured it’d be a waste to stay in the observation room, where he usually took his watch. He spread himself out on the lawn instead, still wet from an earlier hurricane, and looked up at the glittering sky.

Footsteps closed in on him. He didn’t have to look to know who it was, even without the distinct _slapslap_ of straw sandals.

Sure enough, Luffy’s grinning face hovered above him. Zoro smiled back at her and patted the space beside him in invitation. Luffy wasted no time lying down to curl herself against him and Zoro pulled her up on him so she wouldn’t get wet from the grass.

The waves were getting a little rocky now. Zoro hoped this didn’t mean another storm was approaching.

Luffy sighed in contentment and snuggled deeper into Zoro. He rubbed her back soothingly. “Whacha doin’ up?” he asked quietly.

Luffy shook her head. “Just missed you,” she whispered.

…Zoro didn’t want to say he melted, because that would be too goddamn sappy.

(But he did.)

Luffy turned around on top of him so she could look at the stars too. She squinted at them, trying to make out constellations. “That’s the Pork Bun,” she said confidently.

Zoro laughed. “That is _not_.”

“Well it looks like it,” Luffy said. She pointed to another random collection of stars. “And that’s Drumstick.”

Zoro rolled his eyes. “I’m sure the wise astronomers of old looked at those stars right there and said, ‘We’re calling that Drumstick.’”

“If I were an astromomomer, that’s what I’d call ‘em.”

Zoro smiled against her skin. “What do you think those are, then?” he asked, pointing at the Dragon of the East. “Onigiri?”

Luffy clicked her tongue. “Silly, silly Zoro. That’s Spring Onion Omellete!”

They went like this for a while, until Luffy had renamed most of the constellations with food. Zoro absently laid his hand across her middle. He felt a bump.

Zoro stilled.

Luffy, oblivious, chattered on about meatballs.

“Luffy,” he said slowly. “How far along did Chopper say you were?”

Luffy scrunched her brows in concentration. “Four months, I think?”

How had he not noticed it before today? Luffy usually wore baggy clothes but he still would have noticed. Zoro wanted to slap himself. The times when he felt it before this, he’d just thought Luffy had a bigger meal than usual.

“You’re showing,” he told her.

Lucy didn’t understand, “Showing what?” At least he wasn’t the only idiot around here.

Zoro grabbed her hand and placed them over the bump. Luffy made a soft voice of comprehension and wonder.

“I just thought I ate too much!” she marveled. What did he say? Idiot. Zoro had no idea why he was grinning so hard.

At least they’d done well enough in the past months and no one seemed to have suspected anything. This new development meant they’ll have to backtrack to older islands they’d visited before soon.

Zoro pressed Luffy closer to him and took a deep breath. The waves were rocky beneath them and above, the stars spun on and on towards eternity. The wind had picked up again, a swirling, howling thing; it smelled of change.


	4. take this bottled sunshine (just in case)

If anyone asked, the Strawhats were doubling back from the New World to ‘check on their territories’.

It was honestly a blessing that Luffy had conscripted so many islands to her debt, and that she had managed to endear herself to so many people during the short time she was there. To hide her growing waistline, Nami had gotten Luffy a huge red overcoat which she initially loved because of how pirate-y it made her look, that she always ended up losing later on because it was too bulky. It was the first mate’s job to follow their captain around and make her put it on again before anyone saw. Lucky him.

One month later, after travelling to numerous smaller islands first, they made it back to Wano and Zou. Both were pretty isolated countries but even then, they didn’t dare stay too long lest they drew attention to themselves. The Wanoans and Minks gave them a hero’s welcome when they returned and suspected nothing when the Strawhats told them they just wanted to see how they were recovering. Luffy was happy to see old friends again, at least. The party they threw in her honour kept her occupied enough that she didn’t demand to leave before the two weeks they’d planned to stay on each island.

By the time they reached Dressrosa, Luffy was in her third trimester. That’s what it was called when a pregnancy entered its final stages, Zoro learned.

Shit. He was not prepared. At all.

The sun was bright, hot-white and the flowers in the field swayed cheerfully in the wind. Fallen leaves twirled, danced down to earth from the big tree in the middle of the clearing, mingled with flower petals as they went their merry way. The weather was more or less the same as the last time they were here, balmy and humid. The air was still sweet with the taste of flowers.

Rebecca had dragged Luffy somewhere with the dwarf people in tow, so eager to show her the country she would rule one day. Zoro had looked around the day they landed to see that despite the mountains of rubble they still had trouble clearing away, most of the necessary infrastructure had been rebuilt and the people looked happy, if somewhat exhausted. Zoro guessed this meant the Princess and her family were doing a good job.

Brook and Usopp were on damage-control (following Luffy around) that afternoon, which meant Zoro was free for once. When Kyros suggested a spar, he had no reason to turn him down.

He limited himself to parrying away Kyros’ attacks. He was good – he had to be the top gladiator in that bloodbath of a colosseum for a reason – but well…it was becoming hard for Zoro to find a good challenge nowadays. Only Luffy was fun enough to spar when they were not chasing down emperors.

Then, between the clang of steel, in the clearing where the sun danced among flowers, Kyros suddenly asked, “So how far along is she?”

Zoro stuttered. It gave Kyros a window to strike at his left flank - his blind side - but Zoro managed to block it at the last moment.

He backed up, wary. “What do you mean?” he asked stiffly. Luffy had gotten pretty big. It had come to the point where the overcoat didn’t do much anymore. They’ll have to leave for the ocean floor soon.

Kyros gave him a curious look. “Strawhat Luffy,” Kyros said. “Is she not with child?”

Zoro tried to stop his eyes from widening. “Uhh…who?” God. Please someone smack him. Luffy’s inability to lie must have rubbed off on him.

Kyros drew back, considering Zoro. He walked over to the tree where he sat down, his sword propped on his knees, and started cleaning it. It looked like the spar was over. “So…you’re the father, huh?” he said instead. He seemed to be in a talking mood.

Zoro froze. His eyes bounced back from Kyros to the cottage and he wondered how rude would it be to just ignore him.

Kyros smiled. “Congratulations are in order, then.”

Ahh whatever. Zoro sat down too, a little way off on a big rock. He didn’t think Kyros was the type to tell people about this, but just to be sure…

“We would appreciate it if you keep this quiet,” he began, voice low and dangerous. “You understand.”

To his surprise, Kyros just continued smiling at him. He looked away from the sword he was cleaning to the horizon, where the sun had begun its descent. “My Rebecca was born in circumstances not so different from yours,” he said. His smile, wrinkled and content, turned nostalgic. “We had to keep it a secret, about who her mother really was.”

A pair of blue birds twittered by, gay and careless, coasting on the stirring winds, chasing the clouds and the sun. “Then, my wife died and my daughter - my greatest pride and joy – she became my reason for – for everything,” Kyros continued. Zoro stayed silent. His eyes traced the bluebirds as they flew, free, unbound by the earth. “If she wasn’t there, I would have given up, you know, when I was turned into a toy. But I endured. For ten years, I did!” Kyros laughed. “I did it! All for my little girl.”

Kyros turned to look at him, smiling still, eyes heavy. “That is what it means,” he said. “To be a father.”

And there was wisdom behind his eyes; the kind only gained from pain, experience, a love so great it consumes a person whole. Zoro looked at the stump that was his left leg and wondered what else he gave up besides those ten years.

“It’s funny,” Kyros continued, genial. “I wouldn’t call myself a good man. I have killed before, and I don’t regret it, but bringing Rebecca into this world, it made me think, maybe it’s not such a bad thing that I was alive after all!” He laughed. Zoro kept quiet.

Zoro…wasn’t what he would call a good man either. He’d done worse things than kill, and at this point, killing wasn’t even something he regretted anymore, especially when it involved the safety of the crew. It had never mattered if he was good or bad; Luffy certainly never minded. She was the only one who had never been afraid of him, or disgusted by him. Usopp, Chopper, and even Nami, despite how long they’d known each other, all they’ve gone through, would look at him uneasily sometimes after he’d done something, or said something that they thought was too dark or cruel. Zoro never thought much about it, it had never _mattered_ before.

But how would this, his darkness, affect a being as pure, as faultless as a child. His child.

He didn’t know.

Later, the sun had set, and after Luffy came back with the others, she kept looking at Zoro questioningly. At dinner, she reached out under the table to hold his hand.

“You’re being awful surly,” she observed, wrinkling her nose. “More than usual, I mean.”

The light from the fireplace had cast a warm glow about her. It made stars dance in her hair, made the hazy outline of her strawhat look like the ghost of a crown. Her dark eyes were haunting, reflecting fire. Zoro couldn’t help it. He reached out to cup her face, something he had never done before in front of people who were not their crew. Luffy leaned into his palm without a thought, looked up at him through her lashes.

The child – his child – would be hers too, Zoro realised. If anything could keep the darkness at bay, if there was only one thing in the world that could do that, it would be Luffy.

He rested his forehead against hers, surprising her. “It’s nothin’.”

 

_You underestimate yourself, Roronoa Zoro._

_Darkness can be extinguished by light, as light can be consumed by the ever-lasting dark. Such it was, such it will be._

_Man was born from the dark, and their only inexhaustible resource; that arrogance of youth._

_Lanky limbs, lanky heart, lanky dreams. Yes, try, o child of mine, ye who hold fate in your hands._

_Reach out to the light. Be careful, Icarus, lest you burn._

One day, an unexpected visitor came with the tide.

The Strawhats had just gotten through a storm, one of those random ones born of the chaos that is the New World, that only Nami’s seemingly psychic senses could predict. It wasn’t that bad – at least there weren’t flame tornados – and having sailed together for so long, reacting to it had become second nature.

They were in the middle of a post-storm clean-up. At different ends the mast, Zoro and Sanji were securing the last of the rigging. Franky and Usopp hammered and drilled away, repairing the, thankfully, minimal damage _Sunny_ had acquired. While Nami gave instructions to Chopper who was handling the helm at the moment, Robin rescued their furniture and Luffy moped the floors diligently – soaked wood was not a good thing to have on a ship, after all.

Then, a murder of crows flew past, a mass of cawing shadows, and a grinning figure in blue appeared on the rails, uninvited.

Luffy gasped and dropped her mop. “Sabo!” she cried in delight.

“Hey, Luffy. Just checking up be- “Sabo’s eyes widened to comical degrees. “What. Is that??” He pointed at Luffy’s bulging middle, on full display because Luffy had forgone the overcoat on the privacy of _Sunny._

Luffy looked down to see what he was referring to. “Oh,” she laughed. “That’s Baby!”

Sabo’s face cracked. He looked like his world had crashed around his ears, or that his brain had shattered. The Strawhats held their collective breath. Zoro debated just throwing himself into the sea.

When Sabo recovered, he turned his head s l o w l y to where Zoro was, still on top of the sails. His eyes glowered with the wrath of a thousand fucking suns, “ _You.”_

_Shit._

A blink of an eye. A whirl of movement was all the warning Zoro got before Sabo reached out to him with fingers twisted into the shape of dragon claws. Shuusui was drawn out of its sheath; a motion perfected over a lifetime, culminating into a block that took less than a breath to execute.

_Clang!_

The shockwave from the blow fluttered the sails. _Sunny_ lurched to the side, disturbed.

Over their locked sword and fist, Zoro met Sabo’s glare impassively. _If it’s a fight he wanted, it’s a fight he will get._

The crew on the deck made various noises of distress. At the other end, even Sanji looked offended. They may fight like cats and dogs but Zoro knew he was still crew to the shit-cook, while Sabo, despite his relations with Luffy, was not. He looked ready to join in, but Zoro sent him a look, telling him to stand down. This fight was his. He felt as if…he needed to prove something here.

“Sabo!” Luffy yelped from down below. “Sabo stop!”

Sabo ignored her. As they disengaged from each other, Luffy took the chance to wind her arms around the mast and jumped between them.

She spread out her arms. “Don’t attack Zoro!” she demanded, glaring at her big brother. Zoro lowered his sword arm now that she was here. He almost smiled at the image she made, like a chihuahua protecting a pitbull.

Sabo looked reluctant. “But Luffyyy,” he whined.

“You can’t fight each other, ok? You’re Baby’s uncle and I want you to be friends with Zoro, because he’s the dad!” Zoro’s heart seized at that, the way it always did when he was reminded of his role in all of this.

 _Dad, dad, dad…_ his mind echoed. The beginnings of panic started to stir again.

“Luffy, just one shot. How ‘bout that? Let me get one good hit in –“

“No!” Luffy stood firm. She was almost stamping her foot like a five-year-old. Sabo still looked ready to argue but then, in a manoeuvre as unexpected as the way she moved sometimes, Luffy’s shoulders drooped, “Aren’t you happy for me?”

An immediate shift in balance. Zoro could tell Sabo was out of practice at dealing with Luffy. He wavered guiltily, thrown off. Zoro almost wanted to laugh.

“O-of course I am, Lu!” he stuttered, trying to find his footing again. “I just- shit, I-“

“So you can’t fight anymore. Promise?” Luffy wheedled.

Sabo sighed, defeated and resigned now. “Alright.”

It still didn’t stop him from miming Zoro’s imminent death behind Luffy’s back when they climbed down though.

 

Sabo decided to stay for lunch. Now that he wasn’t intent on attacking one of them, the Strawhats warmed up to him again. He sat with Luffy at the table, asking questions after questions that Luffy was too happy to answer. Her grin was almost splitting her face.

Brook and Robin helped bring out the dishes when they were ready and it wasn’t long before the disaster that was a meal with the Strawhats began. Spaghetti flew everywhere, Sanji yelled at the culprits not to waste food, fights broke out, just everyday stuff.

It was uncanny, really. Zoro had always assumed that Luffy’s vivacious appetite was due to her Devil Fruit, but looking at Sabo shovelling down food by the plateful, he wasn’t sure anymore.

When things have settled down a bit, Nami twirled her noodles elegantly around her fork and asked their guest, “So Sabo, why the surprise visit?”

Sabo, in the midst of defending his plate against Luffy’s onslaught, suddenly sobered. He sat up straighter and tipped his hat down. “There were some rumours going around that Strawhat was checking on her territory, which she never does. The higher-ups in the Marines suspected something was going on.”

He turned to Luffy now, “They said that you were getting ready to stake your claim as pirate king. This…this sounds stupid, but some are even getting nervous about that coat you’ve been wearing. They say you’re emulating Roger.”

Luffy slurped up her spaghetti. She wrinkled her nose. “Nami got me that to hide Bump though.”

Around the room, the Strawhats looked at each other, wary. Zoro’s clenching hand rested on Wado Ichimonji’s hilt.

“Sabo, have you heard anything at all? Have the Marines planned a course of action?” Robin asked, eyes calculating.

Sabo shook his head. “Not yet,” he said. “Just…whispers of it, now. I’m just here to warn you guys. That reminds me, where are you going when Luffy’s – Luffy’s due?”

“Fishmen Island,” Sanji told him promptly. “It’s one of the hardest islands to reach in the world. Plus, the people there are loyal to Luffy.” He sent her a fond smile.

“Jimbei’s there too,” Chopper piped up. And Jimbei would absolutely make sure nothing would happen to Luffy. He was one of the Strawhat, for all that he didn’t live onboard _Sunny._

Sabo nodded. “That’s…not a bad idea. Any plans yet on how you’ll be reaching there from this side of the Red Line?”

“Got that sorted out, big-bro,” Franky gave him a thumbs-up. “I’ll call Den-san a week before we’re due to arrive. He’ll coat _Sunny_ for us on the nearest island before we descend.”

Sabo let out a relieved sigh. “So you all have it figured out, huh?” He turned to grin at Luffy. “Your crew is pretty good, Luffy.”

She beamed, proud. “They’re the best!” The crew tittered, flattered. Chopper did his weird dance thing and Zoro rolled his eyes at her when Luffy directed her grin at him.

Brook laughed. “Rest assured, Sabo-san.” He plucked a hopeful little chord on his violin string. “Luffy-san is in good hands!”

Sabo smiled at each of them. “I appreciate that. I really do. And you know what-“ His eyes slowly lit up with inspiration. “I’ll get in touch with Raleigh-san. His coating is the only way for anyone to get to Fishmen, and if we can ask him to suspend his business for a week or two when you’ll be there…”

“No mainlander will be there except for us,” Usopp realised. “That’ll be great!”

Luffy looked at her big brother near worshipfully. “You’re the best, Sabo.”

Sabo’s smile softened when his eyes met hers. Quickly, he opened up his jacket and tore up a piece of paper from a notebook he found. “We don’t even make Vivre Cards anymore, since what happened last time,” he explained, scribbling something on it. “And this is breaking all sorts of protocol, but –“He finished writing a series of number and handed the slip to Luffy. She held it carefully in her palms.

“Call me if you need help, ok?” He said in an urgent voice, laced with determination and…something else; desperation, maybe, Zoro thought. “You’re my only little sister in the world.”

Luffy took one last look at the piece of paper, folded it carefully and tucked it behind the band of her strawhat, where once resided the key to Ace’s lifeforce. She nodded her head, solemn. “Alright.”

After Sabo left, Luffy leaned against Zoro on the deck. She kept staring at the spot in the horizon where Sabo disappeared from sight. “I miss him already,” she said, voice soft.

Zoro pulled her into an embrace and Luffy tucked her face under the hollow of his collarbone, that part of him that Zoro sometimes felt existed solely for her.

Zoro…didn’t have any siblings. He didn’t know what Luffy was feeling. The blood relatives he did have were…well – unconventional. He’d rather not think about it.

“He loves you a lot,” Zoro observed.

Luffy smiled, “He’s the best big brother in the world.”

 

_These bonds of mortals, shackles that they are._

_When will you learn, o child of mine, this will be what drowns ye; these balls and chains._

_This will be what drags you,_

_down the river of souls, back to the darkness,_

_to what you fear._

_And back_

_to_

_me._


	5. the taste of freefall in your lungs

Fishmen Island was every bit as magical as they remembered.

Glowing trees, giant whales with their haunting songs, twirling fish that sparkled like precious jewels, shy seakings hiding around the corner; it never ceased to amaze. They also didn’t crash this time, which was awesome.

Jimbei met them at the landing port, as serious as ever. It lasted all of two minutes before Luffy tackled him into a hug and asked inane questions about his well-being. A crowd had gathered to watch them, so to hide Luffy’s condition (the old red overcoat was hardly enough now), the Strawhat fanned around her, placing themselves strategically between her and the adoring populace. Zoro glowered at anyone that got too near.

It wouldn’t be long now.  A few weeks more and they wouldn’t have to do this anymore.

They were led into a nicer part of town to Jimbei’s own house. It wasn’t big, but if the boys slept in a dogpile like they usually do, there’ll be enough room.

“You all must be exhausted from your journey,” Jimbei began. “If you want a meal – Luffy-kun!”

His eyes bulged. Luffy had taken her overcoat off again. She started when Jimbei called her name.

“Uhh, surprise?” she said sheepishly.

“Are you- are you –“

“Yea, she’s pregnant,” Usopp said dryly.

Jimbei’s eyes bulged further. “I know I felt something just now, but I just assumed you ate too much. I would never imagine –“

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Luffy stage- whispered to Zoro. He gave her a disbelieving look.

“When is it due??”

“In about three weeks,” Chopper told him helpfully.

Jimbei looked like he was about to have an aneurysm.

“Alright, alright, we should calm down,” he said, taking deep breaths. The rest of the crew looked at each other. Most of them hadn’t even said anything.

Jimbei finally stopped pacing. His fingers twitched as if he wanted to rip his hair out, but he refrained. “I assume we would want to keep this a secret, then?” he asked.

Robin gave him an encouraging smile, “That would be most helpful.”

“I have most things ready,” Chopper said. He looked concerned for Jimbei. “So, there’s really nothing to do anymore. Just wait.”

Jimbei nodded numbly. “Right, yes. Lovely.” He seemed to pull himself together and smiled, gesturing at Luffy’s bump. “May I..?”

Luffy beamed. “Go ahead!”

Jimbei placed his hands on it and Baby gave an enthusiastic kick. It wasn’t a common occurrence that it did that. Baby was very lazy, as Zoro kept telling it during quiet nights when Luffy was asleep.

Jimbei looked up in amazement. “Who would have thought, that Monkey D. Luffy is –“ he shook his head. “Have you thought of names?”

Zoro cringed. Luffy kept coming up with more and more ridiculous names, and the others kept making it worse.

Sure enough, Luffy brightened. “Bear-Tiger!” she enthused. “Octopus-Wolf-Lion!”

“WHAT! That’s weird, Luffy!” Chopper cried. “We should call it Gumdrop Candy! It’s sweet, see? It’s perfect for a baby!”

“I would suggest Dark Soul,” Robin said hopefully.

“How about Skull?” Brook chimed in. “It would be a worthy name indeed for a pirate!”

“You idiots! Why would you force such misfortune on an unborn baby?” Nami scorned. She turned to Zoro, mad glint in her eyes. “If you name it after me, I’ll excuse all your debt.”

 “No! Name it after me- the Great Usopp-sama!”

“Mellorine if it’s a girl! You heathens can name it whatever you want if it’s a boy.”

And on it on it went. These kinds of arguments could literally go on for hours, from Zoro’s experience.

Jimbei looked at him. “And what about you, Zoro-san? What would you name your child?” he asked.

Zoro blanked. “…Katana,” he said at length. The voices of objections and ridicule drowned out everything else for the entire afternoon.

 

It was weird that there was still night time in Fishmen Island when their main source of light was the giant tree.

But night came dutifully every day. Zoro leaned against a coral on top of a hill not far from Jimbei’s house, watching the dome of the ocean slowly fade from a bright cerulean to a pinkish purple. Schools of ocean life swam by; jellyfish the size of houses, transparent creatures that glow like swamp-fires, fish with eyes that shone in the dark. They may not have stars down here but they have something equally ancient and mysterious.

Luffy was sitting next to him, eating takoyaki with gusto. She went to see Camie, Hacchi and Papugg before this, and Hacchi had cooked up more than a hundred takoyaki for her in excitement. After she finished all of it, Luffy wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and licked at the bottom of the take-away carton regretfully.

“Good?” Zoro asked her, amused.

Luffy nodded emphatically. “I think Baby likes takoyaki,” she said.

Zoro snorted. “Don’t blame Baby for that. You’ve been eating like this for years.”

Luffy looked positively insulted. “Well, Baby’s inside me, so of course I know what it likes.”

Zoro rolled his eyes. “Just wait a few weeks more. You won’t be able to trick Sanji into cooking things you wanna eat ‘cause ‘Baby likes it’ anymore.”

Zoro didn’t realise when he started doing it, when he started capitalising Baby’s name in his head. It used to be just this, vague, formless being, but the longer he heard Luffy talking about it, sometimes having one-sided conversations with it, the more Baby seemed like an actual person. Baby was lazy, it liked the sound of Zoro’s voice, for some reason, because it kicked more when Zoro spoke to it, Baby couldn’t stand the smell of lemongrass, Baby loved it when it rained. Wasn’t it bizarre that he knew so much about a person who wasn’t even born yet?

Then, without meaning to, and almost unconsciously, he whispered, “I can’t wait for Baby to be born.”

He started as soon as that left his mouth and he looked at Luffy in trepidation. Somehow, at that very moment he felt completely bare, as if the entirety of his soul – all the blackened, hopeful, mortal, immortal parts of it – was all stripped down and left out in the open to be scrutinized under her eternal eyes.

Luffy’s face was the gentlest he had ever seen. He looked at her, helpless, unable to look away. She reached out and held his face in her hands, hands that could make or break him, scarred fingers that could hold up the world, gentle hands that hold Fate in their palms.

“Me too,” she replied. She pulled him down for a kiss. On her lips, Zoro thought he could taste freedom.

 

_Not long now, o child of mine._

_Just you wait._

_Not long now._

 

It was here. The day of reckoning.

It started before they even got out of bed. Zoro was curled up with Luffy on the only sofa in the house when she jerked awake suddenly.

“Ahh,” she said. “Uhm.”

Zoro got up fuzzily. “Whassit?” he mumbled.

Luffy’s eyes were wide. “I think I’m contracting?”

“You’re having contractions,” Zoro corrected.  Then, he heard himself. “ _You’re having contractions,”_ he near-screeched.

He went upstairs to kick down Chopper’s door. “Get up get up _get up!_ ”

 

An almost-breakdown later, Chopper had Luffy laid down on the bed. “It’s been happening, I dunno, every fifteen minutes or so?” Luffy was telling him.

“Alright,” Chopper was remarkably calm in his doctor-mode. He had IVs and portable monitors hooked up. “You’re still in the early stage. Baby’s probably not coming for another few hours.” To Zoro and the others losing their minds at the door, he said, “The rest of you should leave. You’ll just crowd the room if you stay. Nothing’s going to happen for a while anyway.”

“I’ll take a walk around the block,” Usopp said, looking exhausted for God-knows-what reason. “I think I’ll go crazy if I stay here.”

“I’ll join you,” Nami said, equally frazzled.

When they’re gone, Sanji put a cigarette to his lips, but he threw it away just when he was about to light it, frustrated – he’d stopped smoking the moment Luffy told them about the baby. He was probably realising it would not be good either to do it around a newborn. “I’ll go make something,” he said at last. “Luffy’ll be famished after.”

The smell of something savoury and sizzling soon wafted from the kitchen. Franky actually looked sick, so Brook put a consoling hand on his shoulder. “Luffy-san will be alright! I’m sure of it,” he said brightly.

“Of course she is,” Zoro snapped. Everyone else looked at him in surprise. Realising what he did, Zoro closed his mouth and looked away. Brook looked taken aback but Zoro couldn’t bring himself to care at this moment.

“I’m taking a walk,” he muttered, slamming the door behind him.

 

The breeze outside at least made it easier to breathe. Zoro tried to control himself as he paced around the coral hill. His heart would not stop racing. _Shit._

Down below, life went on as usual. It was early morning, so the market was still open. The port in the distance was empty – Raleigh made sure of that. The only people walking along the coast were fishmen going about their daily business.

Zoro decided to try meditating. He settled in a Lotus position and laid all three of his swords beside him. He closed his eyes.

_In and out. In and out._

_In._ The world hummed around him, saturated with life. The nocturnal fish he saw the other night had all gone, replaced by colourful diurnal ones. Light filtered through the reefs above.

 _And out._ Sounds merged into one another. They were but a small drop in the ocean, diluted by the air around him into nothingness.

 _In_. Luffy was smiling at him from beyond a wall, that hot summer’s day, at a man half-dead and humiliated. Her grin outshone the mid-noon sun. _Join my crew!_ She was asking him, demanding.

 _And out._ Nights alone together on a dinghy, adrift on an ocean as vast as their dreams. Them against the world. _Look at the stars, Zoro!_

 _In._ A shark terrorizing a small town, defeated with fists. Rain in the middle of the desert. They were climbing, up, up, _up_ towards the sky, where the loudest bell in the world rang, a proclamation across the seas.

 _And out._ Their first kiss, that night before they declared war on the world. Every kiss after that. Every. Single. One. 

Luffy holding his hands, dancing in the snow. Luffy popping a piece of caramel into his mouth, as sweet as her eyes. The first time Baby kicked, how full of wonder her face was. Luffy laying across his lap at night. _How big do you think the world is, Zoro?_

Every moment they shared. Zoro breathed in, calmed. There will be more, this time, with Baby. Every moment after. Breath out.

Zoro opened his eye, and saw Marine warships in the distance.

 

“Marines are here,” Zoro said, palms sweaty and clutching the door frame. His heart beat painful and tachycardic in his chest. Four heads whipped towards him.

Jimbei paled. “What? How? The coating –“

“Submarines.” Zoro interrupted hoarsely. There was no time. _There was no time._ “ _Sanji, get the fuck out here!”_

The shit-cook popped his head out from the kitchen. “The hell do you want, marimo,” he asked, irritated.

“Marines,” Zoro repeated, impatient. “Brook, tell Chopper, but make sure Luffy doesn’t know. Ask him to stay put. Franky, find Usopp and Nami. The rest, with me.”

Sanji’s hands shook. This time he’d lit a cigarette without caring. “How many are there?”

Zoro, already a step out of the house, paused. “A lot.”

 

King Neptune was trying to reason with them when they arrived. Their leader was a smallish man who wore a veil on the lower half of his face. Judging from the stripes of his lapel, he was a vice-admiral. Submarines hovered in the waters threateningly beyond the coastline.

Sanji started to move forward, but Zoro put up an arm to drag him back behind the coral reefs.  

“What is this? Why have you brought an army to my doorstep?” King Neptune asked them, anger barely restrained. Beside him, his sons’ faces were grim. They had tridents in hand. Their own guards, greatly outnumbered, eyed the Marines distrustfully.

“Merely business, I assure you, your majesty. We are after fugitives,” the Marine replied. His voice was as coarse as sand.

“What sort of fugitives would require mobilizing such a huge task force?” King Neptune asked tightly.

The Marine inclined his head. “Highly dangerous ones, of course,” he said. “I’m sure you have heard of them; Fishmen Island is known to be under their protection, after all. We’re looking for the Strawhats, your majesty.”

“Why would they be here?” the eldest prince asked. “We haven’t seen them in almost two years! Should you not be looking in the New World?”

“We have reasons to believe that Strawhat Luffy is rounding up her old allies, for purposes unknown,” the Marine replied calmly, with the patience one would bestow upon a particularly ignorant child. “You can see how big a problem that would pose, if someone as influential as her gathers an army.”

“Well, we would like to help you, vice-admiral, but Strawhat isn’t here. Neither have we seen hide nor tail of her supposed allies.”

Just then, a lower-ranking Marine ran up to them, kicking up sand. “Vice-admiral Shu!” he saluted, out of breath. “Our scouts have found the Strawhats’ ship hidden in a cove!”

Zoro’s heart almost stopped. Franky cursed behind him. Shit.

Vice-admiral Shu turned back to King Neptune and his princes, who were tense with shock. “Ahh, it’s clear now, isn’t it? Now excuse me, if you do not wish to offer assistance- “

“The Strawhats are our guests,” King Neptune thundered. He rose to his full height, casting a long shadow over the men in front of him. “As King of Fishmen Island, I have the authority to offer asylum to whomever I deem fit.”

“I apologize, your majesty. I have orders from the Dragons themselves. They wish to see unruly branches from the family of D trimmed, and that is what we are here to do.”

“We do not wish to fight you,” King Neptune said, though his sons looked more than eager. Their guards were holding on to their weapons tightly. “There are civilians here, vice-admiral. You understand the consequences of them getting caught in a conflict in which a force as big as yours is a participant.”

The vice-admiral considered this. His eyes were those of a snake looking at a bird nest of unguarded eggs. Far off, a crowd of native fishmen was watching the exchange, wary. They couldn’t have had any idea what was going on.

Finally, the vice-admiral sighed, relented. “Yes, I agree. A war on this island would be best avoided.” Then, his face hardened. “However, we still have a job to do. I have a suggestion, your majesty, one that would avoid any unnecessary bloodshed.”

King Neptune stayed silent, waiting.

“We know the Strawhats are on this island. I’ll give you thirty minutes to give them up. In the meantime, my men will surround the island to make sure none of them escapes. Thirty minutes,” the vice-admiral pointed to a large clearing beyond Fishmen Island’s borders, barely contained in the large bubble that enveloped them. “Ask them to meet us there. If they come quietly, no one will be hurt.”

King Neptune glared, but even he knew there was nothing to be done. “We still won’t surrender them, and coming quietly will be the last thing any Strawhat will do,” he warned.

The sky was overcast that day, as if even the Eve tree herself was cognizant of the threat in the air. Skittish pods of seakings circled from far away. Whales wailed mournfully. Vice-admiral Shu hummed, confident and challenging. “We’ll see.”

 

When the Marines retreated, the crew immediately turned to Zoro. “What should we do?” Usopp asked, frantic.

Robin, who was not afraid of many things, actually looked fearful. “Do you think,” she asked slowly, “That the Marines are planning a Buster Call?”

Gasps all around. Nami put a hand over her mouth. “It’s not impossible,” Franky said, sharing a look with Robin. “Wouldn’t be the first time they tried it on one of us.” Zoro’s jaw clenched. They were in an ill-placed position right now with _Sunny_ possibly captured, and their captain…she was not in a position to be moved. Escape will be difficult if this island was blown up. Not to mention if the bubble collapsed.

“They do seem to have brought enough firepower to execute one, should they decide to do so,” Brook said. The Marine submarines have taken up posts at different points around the outskirts of Fishmen Island. Zoro wondered again where the hell they amassed an army of them – the only submarine he had seen before this was Tarao’s.

Trembling and furious, Jimbei said, “We won’t allow it to come to that! Too many have sacrificed their lives already for the future of this island!” The gills on his neck open and closed; it looked like the fishmen version of a human’s chest heaving.

 “Of course, we won’t,” Sanji promised, and he looked up at Zoro with determined eyes. “What should we do?”

The crew turned to him, trusting, awaiting orders. Zoro looked at each of them, his comrade-in-arms, the only family he ever had. If there was anyone who could handle this, it would be them.

“Franky, Usopp. They found _Sunny_. Go to where she is and see if you can get her free. Try to stay under the radar.” Both of them nodded. Franky was looking especially angry, the way he didn’t usually get unless his masterpiece was involved.

“Sanji, go back to the house. Don’t let nobody in.” Out of exuberant words for once, Sanji tapped his steel-toed boots on the ground and gave Zoro a mock salute.

Now, Zoro turned to Jimbei, Nami, Brook and Robin. “The rest of you, keep an eye on the Marines. Make sure they don’t try anything funny.” He received a serious chorus of ‘ _aye’s_ in return. There were possibly thousands of Marines in those ships, but it wouldn’t be the first time they faced this number of enemies. Compared to the odds the last time they fought on this island, this was child’s play. They were the crew of the Pirate King. They could do this.

“Wait, what will you do, Zoro?” Nami asked.

Zoro looked away. He had a plan. They wouldn’t like it, so maybe it was best they didn’t know. “I’m going for their neck,” he said instead.

 

By miracles of miracles, Zoro actually reached the clearing without getting lost. It seemed the Marines had mobilised most of their troops to guard duty around the island; what was left in the clearing were five of their vessels and the vice-admiral.

“Roronoa Zoro,” he croaked in his weird voice. He sounded strangely eager, for some reason. “Here alone?”

Zoro grunted in reply, arms folded. He counted fifty, eighty, a hundred Marines in that area, all watching him like hawks. His Observation Haki wasn’t his greatest skill, but he didn’t think there were any around hiding from sight.

“I’m here to make a bargain,” he said gruffly.

The vice-admiral chuckled. Zoro noticed his eyes were reddish-gold, like a bird-of-prey’s, like unforgiving sand. “Let me guess,” he said, amused. “You’ll surrender if we give you our word that your crew will be spared?”

Zoro hoped he wasn’t that transparent, but this was the only way he could see that would make them leave the island, to at least buy them some time. It was the only way for Luffy to stay safe.

It was the only way for Baby to stay safe.

“I’ll be in your debt,” he said quietly.

The vice-admiral _cackled_ , actually cackled. Zoro bristled a little at that, at this man making slight of his pride, but he controlled himself. He lessened his hold on his swords.

When the vice-admiral settled down, he asked mirthfully, “Yes, that was what you said last time too, wasn’t it? When the Tyrant had your crew cornered like a rat?”

Zoro’s mind blanked. _How did he –_

“No matter,” the vice-admiral continued. “But here, I have a more interesting proposition.” He clapped his hands together. “Tell me, are you a gambling man, Pirate Hunter? What say you to a little wager?”

Zoro didn’t answer him.

“Let’s fight. Here. One on one. If I win, all of you come. If you win, we’ll leave.” He walked right to Zoro and held out a hand.

That was…the stupidest thing Zoro had ever heard. Did this man not pass Marine school or something? How could he not see how overwhelmingly in favour of Zoro this deal was?

Zoro’s eyes flickered around the area. They were planning something. There was the smell of something arid in the air, out of place on the ocean floor. Innocuous like a disease, like decay.

Nevertheless, time - that was what they need right now. Just time. He’ll figure out something later, and if this man was truly foolish enough to actually fight him, Zoro _will_ skewer him.

Zoro nodded stiffly. Although all his instincts were screaming at him not to do so, he clasped the vice-armiral’s hand. Instantly, the sharp smell got stronger, invasive. It reminded Zoro of stale blood on a battlefield. If a snake’s hiss had a smell, this was what it would be. It took Zoro a moment to realise that it was emanating from the man before him. His hand burned when he let go, and when he looked into the vice-admiral’s eyes, their odd colour struck him again.

Reddish gold. Not like sand.

Rust.

Vice-admiral Shu, user of the Rust-Rust Fruit, smirked; a snake finally showing his fangs. “I’m disappointed you don’t remember me, Roronoa Zoro.”


	6. The frog

There was a point in time when Zoro’s most prized possession in the world was his swords.

He came into this world with nothing. He grew up eating garbage and wearing thrash. Kuina’s sword – the loyal Wado Ichimonji – was the first thing he truly owned.

Then came two others, Yubashiri and the wilful Sandai Kitetsu. Zoro could still remember the day he first wielded all three of them together; they felt like fate and freedom made cold metal. Wado Ichimonji’s hilt tasted like an oath between his teeth.

When Yubashiri was lost rescuing Robin, it felt like he had lost a brother, however silly that may sound. But he had learned an important lesson that day:

His swords were precious, yes, but they were mere tools.

 _What fills your blade when you reach the top?_ Mihawk had asked him once. He was just a frog in the bottom of a well then, ignorant of just how truly large the world is, how endless the ocean, how far the sky stretched.

He had the answer now. There were behind him on the island, in a house too small for ten – no, eleven – people.

His swords were just tools, but his skills and experience were his own. He was the culmination of his journey. He was more than his swords and he would defeat his opponent with his bare hands the way Luffy always did hers.

The vice-admiral had no idea what he was truly capable of. He was being cocky – that would be his downfall, the way it was his that fateful day when a legend cut down a frog.

Throughout the fight, Zoro’s opponent was a veritable blur. It was all Zoro could do to dodge. He also fought dirty, or clever, depending on how you looked at it. He knew Zoro was on the defence right now, slowly backing away with arms up to guard his vitals, and he kept baiting Zoro to areas where he may trip over rocks, or sandy places where he would be less able to get a solid footing.

He’d battled an undead Samurai on a slanted roof before. He had walked and fought a war in the sand dunes of Alabasta where every step he took sank his leg up to his knees. This was nothing. He would learn to walk on water if it meant defeating the man in front of him.

Usually, when he was using his blades, Zoro was a lot more aggressive. Being unable to use them had made him cautious. No matter, he could be patient. Two years alone on an island where the sun didn’t shine had taught him that.

A swipe from the left that Zoro couldn’t evade in time. The vice-admiral was clearly used to combat at close quarters, and he was using clawing motions to better channel his Devil Fruit with. Zoro thought of Tetanus - the Locked Jaw disease - the deadly illness that lived in rust which can only enter one’s body by piercing it; an old nail carelessly stepped on, rotten steel in an abandoned ruin fallen on an unwary explorer. The sharp fingernails of a Rust-Rust Fruit user against human skin.

Zoro’s left shoulder stung, but Haki had saved him from the worst of it. His skin seemed unblemished, at least. Zoro turned back to glare at Shu, who had backed away a little now. That shit-eating smile was still on his face. Zoro would put him in his place soon.

He had a promise to keep. It would not be his fate to lose here. He would _not_ allow it to be, when Luffy’s freedom and something precious and new was on the line.

He thought of Luffy’s grin when he made her that oath and called her his King, three years and a lifetime ago. How her smile, even worried, pulled to the corner of her eyes, endless. Tucked in every curve of it was her unwavering faith in him.

Shu lunged forward, grin sharp, certain.

 _This is a frog._ Zoro realised in sudden, absolute clarity. _Ye who knows nothing of the world._

 _Such is defeat_. Mihawk said grimly in his memory. Zoro’s swords were all still sheathed and snug in their cases, safe. He let the vice-admiral come.

Shu gave a triumphant yell. And he _leaped_. A toad trying to fly, trying to touch the sun without the wings ambition would have given him.

“This is fate,” Zoro told him quietly. Shu was close enough to hear him now. A flash of fear in his rust-coloured eyes; the self-preservation instinct of a weaker animal.

Zoro settled in his stance, “ _Mutouryu: Shishisonson!”_

A spurt of blood, a keening cry.

Then, nothing. Nothing at all.

 

Shu was whimpering beneath the heel of his boot. Blood dribbled from the corners of his mouth and he was gasping. Zoro may have crushed his windpipe without meaning to. Whoopsie-fucking-daisy.

His underlings started forward, weapons ready, but Zoro shot them a quelling glare. He stepped harder on Shu’s throat meaningfully and they stood down. Weaklings.

Shu spluttered beneath him, clawing at his foot. Zoro leaned down towards him and whispered, “Call all of your men off. And I’ll give you one chance: leave this island. Take all your ships with you. Maybe I’ll even be kind to you the next time we meet.”

Shu tried to shake his head but he couldn’t. He pointed frantically to Zoro’s boot instead. Zoro narrowed his eyes. This man could damn well gesture at his men to relay the orders or something. He was lucky he hadn’t broken his wrists.

A sudden explosion behind him.

Zoro whipped his head up. There was smoke coming from the buildings. Civilians had already started screaming.

_But how? The golden den den mushi –_

Rage filled the very fibre of Zoro’s being. With remarkable self-control, he lessened the pressure on Shu’s throat and let him up. When Shu coughed, droplets of blood fell onto the sand.

“Who did it?” Zoro growled. “ _Who ordered the Call?”_

Even in the condition he was in, Shu laughed; a pitiful, hacking sound. “You’re…too late,” he rasped. “The Dragons…they ordered this…pre-emptively. Our orders were…to execute the Buster Call…on whatever island Strawhat…is on.” He doubled over, exhausted, and clutched at his throat. His smile was fixed on his face, mocking.

Around them, seakings which had been completely docile before started to stir. The air rushed when they swam by. They howled their terrible song, the call of the deep – the true deep – and made their way towards the island.

The princess, Zoro remembered. Didn’t she have some weird thing with seakings?

Focus, Zoro screamed at himself. See. Plan. Strike.

But first, Zoro, rage running hot and molten in his veins, turned, facing the Marines, these vermin beneath his feet. A few of them actually jumped back at the look on his face. Shu’s smile froze.  Darkness he hadn’t felt in a long time rose within him.

He drew his blades.

 

_O ye who hold fate in your hands, ye who was born of the dark._

_You should know better, Roronoa Zoro._

_Fate will always, always be, that which is inescapable, inevitable._

_As immortal as stardust._

_Luffy Luffy Luffy._ Each palpitation of his heart echoed with the sound of her name as he ran. The submarines had begun attacking the island, but the brunt of it seemed to be hitting the giant seakings intent on protecting the island. Nevertheless, some Marines had infiltrated the bubble and Zoro cut them down without a thought, his mind barely registering the motion. His vision narrowed in onto the town, the edge of which was too far away.

…What were the lone Marines doing here? If their goal was to carry out a Buster Call, wouldn’t it be more efficient for them to stay on board their vessels?

Unless…unless they were actively looking for Luffy.

Zoro ran faster. _Luffy Luffy Luffy Luffy._

A figured stepped out from the furthest building, looking around bewilderedly. She had a hand on her swollen belly.

Zoro’s heart dropped to his boots. He would know her anywhere.

“ _Luffy!!_ ” Zoro screamed. Luffy turned to the sound of his voice. Her eyes darted around before she finally saw him but she looked confused. Her lips formed the beginning of his name –

“STRAWHAT LUFFY!” a voice boomed.

The both of them paused.

A man was walking towards her, dragging his giant cleaver along. He had a helmet shaped like bullhorns.

Zoro’s eyes widened. The colours he wore indicated that he was another vice-admiral.

The vice-admiral had gotten closer to Luffy, whose Observation Haki had dampened dramatically over the past few months. Zoro ran to her, heart tearing. She was too far away _. Too far._

Luffy sized the vice-admiral up as he approached, her hand protective over Baby. Her eyes flicked towards to the submarines floating and firing torpedoes around them and her face hardened with comprehension.

“Strawhat Luffy,” the vice-admiral continued. “You may have gotten away in Dressrosa –“

He stopped all of a sudden, as if noticing something, and scrutinized Luffy’s bloated abdomen. Genuinely shocked, he asked “Are you –“

Luffy’s eyes flashed. A terrifying wave of Conqueror’s Haki. The sheer, overwhelming pressure of it, stronger than Zoro had ever felt before. It was thunder and storms and the entirety of the ocean’s wrath condensed into a single person. It reminded Zoro of bloodlust, but purer, quiet in its confidence. It wasn’t a promise of a culling; it was an order, a will, plain and simple, reverberating throughout the entire island and beyond: _You will. KNEEL._

Zoro pressed on. This was Luffy, and if all of her pain could not kill him, nothing of hers could ever hurt him.

The vice-admiral dropped like a rock, foaming at the mouth. Zoro wasn’t surprised – his presence was like that of an ant’s in front of a giant. Around them, the submarines had stopped firing. Without anyone conscious at their helms, they crashed onto the ground and into each other. Fire and debris filled the air.

The seakings that had gathered were all watching Luffy. Their heads were bowed, paying respect to a King.

Zoro didn’t pay any attention to any of that. Luffy looked up at him when he reached her. She frowned in concern when she saw his face, and Zoro was hit again with the thought that if this was anyone, _anyone_ else, they would probably be afraid of how he was at this moment.

“Zoro?” she asked. He pulled her in roughly and breathed in her hair. As fire fell like rain around them, Zoro closed his eyes at the feeling of this girl, safe and whole, in his trembling arms.

 

Zoro seethed as he entered the house. Luffy was holding his hand and following behind him.

“ _You,_ ” he growled when he saw Sanji, who looked defiant. He wanted to go over there and throttle that stupid eyebrow off of his face but Luffy held on to his hand.

Zoro settled for glowering instead. He knew he was good at it. “You were supposed to keep an eye on her.”

Sanji wavered for a second, as if he was unsure if he should have let Luffy go. The others were all covered in soot and they looked weary. As soon as the bombing began, Jimbei had corralled them into helping the civilians. Franky and Usopp had managed to free _Sunny_ and they were lucky it seemed no harm had been done to her.

Luffy pulled on Zoro’s arm. “I ordered them to let me go, Zoro,” she said quietly.

Beside Sanji, Chopper was sniffling. He looked guilty as hell. Usopp had his arm around him.

That reminded Zoro. He turned to examine Luffy, his hands on the bump. “What happened?” he demanded. “I thought you were…”

Chopper rubbed at his eyes. “She was in established labour,” he confirmed in between sniffs. “But when Luffy heard the explosions, she…stopped it.”

Luffy looked at Zoro, a small smile on her face. “I couldn’t sense as good, but I felt that you were too far away, so I went after you because I was worried.”

Nami looked horrified. “You idiot!” she moaned. “What if you got hurt? I wasn’t there and – _you-_ “ she whirled around to face Sanji, who flinched. “Zoro was right. What the hell were you thinking letting her go alone, Sanji-kun?” Sanji looked like he was about to cry.

Luffy silenced her with a look. “It was captain’s order, Nami,” she said sternly.

“If I may, Nami-san,” Jimbei began, hesitant. “Luffy-kun managed to stop the Buster Call because they let her go. Nothing could have prevented the carnage otherwise.”

“Thousands would have died,” Brook agreed quietly, out of skull-jokes for once.

Zoro closed his eyes. He willed himself to calm down. Nothing happened to her, he reminded himself. Her hand was small and warm in his. She was safe.

“Chopper,” he called instead. Chopper jumped at being addressed. “You said Luffy just…stopped. Is that even possible?”

Chopper looked uncertain. “I didn’t think it was,” he said slowly. “But all the evidence pointed towards the contrary. Luffy’s…currently not in labour anymore.”

They all turned to her. Trust Luffy to be a medical anomaly. “Ace’s mum did it,” she said, uncomfortable. Zoro’s eyes narrowed. There was something she wasn’t telling them here.

“But Luffy’s stable,” Chopper went on. “I made sure of it.”

Robin stood up from her place from beside the window. Outside, the people have started to come out of their houses again. Rubble of marine warships smoked in the distance, unconscious bodies of Marine soldiers – including one of an unfortunate grunt who’d wanted to knock down their door without knowing who was on the other side – were strewn over the island.

“If Luffy’s well, we have something more dire on our hands,” Robin said. “We have to do something about the Marines.” This was one of the times when Zoro was reminded of her past as an expert in espionage. His eyes met hers accidentally over the others’ and he knew they were thinking the same thought at the moment. But…no, there were to many of them to kill even if they wanted to.

Zoro jolted in sudden memory. “They know,” Zoro said urgently. He grabbed Luffy’s arms. “That vice-admiral you took out, he saw Baby. And that’s not the only thing.” Zoro took a deep breath. “They were ordered to execute Buster Call on any island you’re on. As long as we are here, Fishmen’s Island won’t be safe. Whichever island we’re on won’t be safe.”

Panic was starting to settle in on the group. “Whatever we’re doing, we better do it fast,” Usopp suggested. He was biting on a nail the way he always did when he was nervous but didn’t want to show it. “The Marines won’t stay unconscious forever.”

Luffy’s eyes were steady. She looked at Zoro first, and Zoro knew, he just knew that he would dread whatever came after.

Sure enough, Luffy opened her mouth and said, “We have to split up.”

A stunned silence, then an immediate response from the rest of the crew.

“What the hell, Luffy –“

“Luffy, if you think I’m leaving you alone again for another second –“

“I’m your doctor! How can I leave you now!?”

Throughout it all, it was Zoro Luffy looked at, calm.

“Listen to me,” she said and the crew quieted. “I need you all to take _Sunny_ and lead them away. I’m sorry to ask this, but…” she gave them a helpless smile. “We have to keep Baby safe, you know?”

Zoro looked at her, disbelieving. She wanted to sacrifice herself for the crew, he realised. She wanted to send them away from her, the way she did for two years.

Luffy was saying something else again; it seemed she had the crew halfway on her side now. She could be pretty convincing when she wanted to be. They were eating whatever she said right up. They actually believed her. “Jimbei, I need you to take me to Rusukaina –“ Zoro heard her continue.

“No.”

All heads in the room turned to him.

“You’re not sending me away again,” Zoro said. Adrenaline buzzed under his skin. He had never gone against a captain’s order before.

Luffy’s eyes hardened with displeasure. “Zoro-“

“No, hear me out.” Zoro said, trying to emulate Luffy at her most convincing. “You can’t sense threats properly, you can’t fight. If you want Baby to be safe, shouldn’t at least one of us go with you? And if one of us goes, shouldn’t it be me?”

Zoro took her hand, examined the scars there. “Baby’s mine too,” he said softly, pleading, and Luffy’s face turned gentle. He had never begged for anything from anyone in his life, but…he would. He would. For this. He remembered the two years without sun, darkness everywhere. He didn’t think he would be able to survive separating from her again. He wouldn’t be able to take it. Wholecake Island was only barely endurable because she was safe and healthy and whole.

It seemed he wasn’t the only sucker when it came to Luffy; Zoro was starting to learn it worked the other way too. Luffy was actually considering it; he could read it in her face. He held his breath.

“Alright,” she agreed.

 

It was decided. The rest would take _Sunny_ and circle a wide radius around Fishman Island before following Luffy’s Vivre Card to come and pick them up in a weeks’ time. None of them were very happy about it.

Chopper was holding back tears when they parted. He really, really wanted to come with. It was tearing his heart out that he, the doctor of the ship, couldn’t be there for Luffy.

“I need you to lead the Marines far, far away,” Luffy said to him solemnly. “I’m counting on you, ok?” She bent down to hug him tightly and Chopper sniffled in her hold. He had tried to argue but they were short on time – Luffy flat out refused to let him follow. Zoro stayed silent throughout it all; he knew there was no chance Luffy would put any of them anywhere near the crosshairs of the Marines if she could help it.

Before they left on _Sunny,_ Zoro told him quietly, “I won’t let anything happen to her.”

Chopper glared at him, “You better! She’d better be in perfect shape when we come back for you, hear me?”

Zoro smiled, “Aye aye.”

When he stood up, he realised the others were giving him similar looks. “Take care of Luffy, ok?” Nami said, or threatened. Same difference. Her lips were wobbling.

Zoro nodded, “Always.”

Not enough time. They had to leave before the Marines came to. So ten minutes later, for the third time in their lives, the third time too many, the Strawhats disbanded. _Sunny_ left for the surface and Luffy and Zoro were alone on the seafloor with only Jimbei beside them. If Luffy’s eyes looked suspiciously glassy, Zoro said nothing about it. He just pulled her close as Jimbei’s whaleshark swallowed them whole.

 

Rusukaina. _Is anyone home?_

It was apparently an island that Luffy and Jimbei were familiar with. It took them three days to get there, during which Luffy was understandably quieter than usual. She also looked pale and tired. Zoro wanted to ask if she was well, but it just seemed better to let her sleep, and she did for the majority of the journey. Zoro tried to mimic a pillow the best he could.

When they finally set foot on the island, Luffy perked up a bit. She went to say hello to the random giant animals on it – tigers, gorillas, snakes. It would have been weird if Zoro hadn’t seen her do stranger things.

“So what’s this island?” he asked Jimbei.

Jimbei looked down, contemplating his answer. His hand stopped petting the whaleshark that got them here. “She didn’t tell any of you?” he finally said. “This was where he spent her two years.”

Well, that sort of made sense, at least. Zoro was starting to nod along when it dawned on him what that meant. She was here right after Ace –

“Oh,” he said numbly.

Jimbei nodded, sympathetic. They both looked at Luffy in the distance, rough-housing with the animals.

“The Snake Princess’ island is nearby,” Jimbei said after a while. “There’s an elder there who may know a thing or two about midwifery. I’ll go fetch her. They’ll come. For Luffy.”

Zoro’s shoulders sagged in relief. It was the only break he caught in the past few days. “Thank you.”

Jimbei’s eyes blazed at him. “Take care of her when I’m gone,” he said, tone warning, not unlike the way the crew did when they parted. Zoro almost smiled.

After Jimbei left, Zoro went to find Luffy in the middle of the clearing. The animals surrounding her snarled when he got near. Luffy’s face lit up. “Zoro! Zoro! I want you to meet Tiger King and Monkey King and Snake King!” she called. To the oddly protective menagerie around her, she said, “Don’t worry, guys. He’s good.”

The animals settled down some, but they continued to eye Zoro as he walked towards Luffy. Zoro ignored them and he reached out to hold Luffy’s hand.

He finally had a chance to ask the only thought occupying his mind. “Are you…ok?” Zoro tried to beat down the worry in his voice. He wasn’t sure he succeeded.

Luffy quieted for a bit. She looked down at their joined hands, considering. This was…so unlike her. She’d always just blurted out whatever she wanted to say. Luffy…had changed a lot, these past months.

But when she looked up, it was, just Luffy. Bright and optimistic and sunshine smile and sea breeze- tousled hair. The most fearless person he had ever met. “I will be,” she promised. “We’re together, right?”

Zoro grazed her palm with his calloused thumb. It was almost pathetic how easily he calmed down. Luffy just had to say less than ten words.

“You’re right,” he said, eyes burning into hers, determination a furnace in his gut. He would keep her safe, whatever it takes.

The wind carried the scent of the sea to them; it smelled of change. Of home.

_Together._


	7. he who has ghosts in his eyes

Night had fallen on the strange island. Rusukaina was weird, even by the standards of the sea they sailed in. It had been close to being summer-y when they landed, but now, merely two days later, a light snow was falling. It was part of its gimmick, Zoro learned, that the season on the island changed every week.

The both of them were sitting by a bonfire, roasting parts of a mountain boar. When Zoro tried to sit closer to Luffy, the animals surrounding her snarled in warning. Zoro glared at them and sat down anyways, eyes on them at all times, challenging and defiant. The animals looked away eventually. Zoro smirked.

Jimbei had taken upon himself to patrol the seas around them to make sure no one had followed them. He’d brought a tiny old lady with a snake (?) for a walking stick – Nyan-baa? Nyon-baa? –  to the island earlier, who checked Luffy over and declared her generally healthy, but gave strict instructions for them to call her through Jimbei should anything change. She had glared at Zoro before she departed, for whatever reason. She’d be back again early tomorrow, and the day after, then the day after that until _Sunny_ picked them up.

Luffy was busy cutting up the meat with a sharpened piece of stick.

“You’re pretty good at that,” Zoro observed. That was putting it mildly. She was surprisingly adept to be honest, considering the disaster she usually was in the kitchen when it was her turn on the roster to play sous-chef to Sanji.

Luffy gave a small smile. Nostalgia twisted the ends of it into something bitter-sweet. “Sabo and Ace taught me how,” she explained. “Well it was mostly Ace, since Sabo – since he left.”

It was only recently when she had begun to talk about her lost brother, and if she did, it was only ever with him. Zoro still hesitated to bring it up. The War had changed something in her, something crucial and fragile and innocent, that Zoro didn’t know how to fix, because he wasn’t there to see her lose it.

Zoro opened his mouth, closed it at the last moment, and looked away. He wanted to say he was sorry, but he knew Luffy wouldn’t think there was anything to apologize for. He had always felt that it was his job to carry her burdens with her, regardless if that sense of duty was misplaced or not, even though he knew Luffy wouldn’t dream of asking him to carry this weight for her.

But he would. He would do it even if what she asked him to carry was the weight of the sky.

“Sounds like it was fun,” Zoro said instead. Happy memories. He just wanted to make her smile again.

It worked. “They were the best,” Luffy agreed. Her eyes were shining with something other than suppressed grief now. Zoro leaned closer in response and pressed his nose to the side of her head. Her smile stretched wider.

The animals started growling again. Zoro glared at them, annoyed. “Why do they do that?” he complained.

Luffy laughed. “They’re my friends!” she said. She gave the tiger on the other side of her a scratch behind an ear and Zoro stared in disbelief when it lolled its tongue in pleasure like a damn dog. Luffy’s joyful cackle rang out again before she quieted. “They were the only ones with me on this island, after – after Ace,” she said softly. “Even Raleigh didn’t stay here in the last six months.”

For a single, crazy moment, Zoro considered hunting down the Dark King and cutting him up. He reached out to pull Luffy onto his lap and she immediately curled into her spot under his chin, into the hollow of his collarbones.

“I…really missed you, then,” she confessed, her voice was so quiet it sounded like a breath against his skin. “I had dreams where – where I’d just, swim to where you are. Even though I knew I’d drown.”

Zoro closed his eyes, buried his face into her hair. He was so, so, so sorry.

“I’m here now,” was the only thing he could say.

Slowly, Luffy looked up from where she had hidden her face in his chest. Her eyes were still shiny, but at least her smile was bright and genuine. “Yea.”

They stayed like that for a while, pressed against each other as snow fell gently around them. Zoro had his hand on the bump when Baby kicked. The both of them started and Zoro smiled at Luffy’s surprised laughter. He leaned down to kiss it, right where the kick bulged the skin.

But this too brought to mind Zoro’s earlier anxiety. He didn’t want to ruin the moment but –

“You said earlier,” he began, tentative. “That Ace’s mum stopped too. What did ya mean?”

Luffy didn’t say anything for a while. “She…gave birth to Ace after twenty months,” she said carefully, as if she didn’t want to startle him. There was something after this, something she was withholding.

“And?” Zoro pressed.

“…she died after.” Luffy avoided his eyes.

Zoro’s heart seized. So that was why she looked so drained.  “ _Luffy_ ,” he said, pained, exasperated, scared out of his mind. “ _Why the hell did you do it then?_ ”

Luffy’s fingers curled against his neck. Her breath was warm. It had begun to fog as the night got colder. “I felt that you were far away,” she said. “And I got scared. I knew you wouldn’t lose a fight, but…it felt like you were gonna do something.” She pressed deeper into Zoro. Her voice was small. “I…thought – I thought I might lose you too.”

Zoro was going to give himself up to buy her time, but she didn’t need to know that. “If I promise to always come back, can you please not do that again?” he asked, begged.

Luffy didn’t say a word. She just stared at him, deep into that place within him where his heart resided, and Zoro suddenly felt as if this moment was pointed, somehow, balancing over the tip of a precipice. His mouth went dry. Luffy’s gaze held his, and she finally nodded. “I’ll hold you to it.” Zoro swallowed.

Luffy settled back into his hold. Her hair tickled his throat. “Sorry I scared you,” she whispered.

Zoro sighed. His fingers combed through the rough ends of her hair. He kissed the top of her head. _I forgive you_.

“Ace,” Luffy said suddenly. Zoro looked down at her. Her eyes were alit. “We should name Baby Ace.”

Well…it wasn’t a bad idea. There were certainly…similarities to their circumstances. And Zoro would be the last one to say no if Luffy wanted to honour her brother. 

“’Ace’ is good,” he said slowly. Luffy smiled, the most precious thing Zoro had ever seen. She linked their hands together and placed them on Baby.

“I can’t wait to meet you, Baby Ace,” she said. Her face was so gentle. As Zoro looked at her, looking at the almost-person that was Baby, he felt determination settle deep within him, the surge of protectiveness he usually felt for Luffy now extended to include something else, someone new but already so, incredibly cherished. He would do it right this time. If the world wanted this Ace, the way they wanted the other, they would have to go through Zoro, and if he died, he would crawl out of hell itself on his bare hands if he had to, tear down the heavens if it meant keeping them safe. Zoro swore then, in his hearts of hearts, that he would not let anything, _anything_ cause Luffy to look that way again – that…broken, sorrow-stricken, grief-mad look he saw in the newspaper the day Ace died. _Never again._

After Luffy had fallen asleep later, curled into a ball on top of him, Zoro quietly removed himself from under her and tucked the now ratty coat around her. He rearranged her strawhat so that the snow wouldn’t fall on her face.

Then, he walked to the shore, to where a lone hooded figure stood staring at the moon and the sea.

Fate, after all, was that which was inescapable.

 

_Once upon a time, Death had a child._

_He was precocious, this boy, this immortal being. He was able to see, of the mortals, what was, what is and what will be. Such was his Gift._

_One day, he asked Death, ‘Who is my mother?’, for he had seen that mortals had mothers, who cherished their precocious sons._

_And Death was silent, but the child was perceptive. He asked another question, one that Death would be willing to answer, ‘Where is my mother?’_

_And Death replied, ‘She is in the realm of the mortals. She walks among what she is not, trying to be what she will never be.’_

_And the boy accepted his answer._

_Ages turned. The gods blink, mountains rise and a thousand men fall. The boy continued observing the mortals, their struggles, their joys and triumphs, the fervent love and hate they held for each other in their transient, shooting star lives._

_What chance does Man have if even the immortal stars fade? Why do they try?_

_And the boy wanted, very much, to experience this for himself._

_So he told Death, ‘I want to live among the mortals, they who hold fate in their hands, they who make their own fate.’_

_And Death said no, for the ancient laws forbid it, for the boy to cross the veil from beyond which Death collected mortal souls._

_But the boy was precocious. He waited in the darkness of their immortal realm, until Death had crossed the veil, and he too, followed, without Death knowing._

_When the boy woke up. He had forgotten everything. He did not remember his life from before. He was not precocious anymore; he was a squalling babe._

 

When he woke up, he was Roronoa Zoro.

 

(The first time Zoro saw Death, he was ten years old.

The weather in the village had been cloudy then, he remembered. The sky was always grey, threatening rain that never fell. That was when he saw a suspicious figure lurking at the edge of town. He didn’t say anything because he was still wary of it, and grown-ups had a way of dismissing him without hearing him out.

Exactly one day later, Kuina died, and the mysterious figure disappeared. The clouds opened and unleashed a torrent of rain when he left.

He knew then, with the absolute, doubtless confidence of a child, that the figure was Death, and he had taken her away.)

 

Zoro walked slowly to the beach. The night was serene, with light snow falling and the hypnotic sound of the waves. Sand crunched under his feet as he made his way to Death.

Death was looking over the horizon. His cloak was made of an indefinable material that floated around him in a black, wispy mass. Smoke – or souls – curled at his hidden feet.

He didn’t turn around as Zoro approached him.

 

(Zoro had seen Death numerous times after that. It was unavoidable in his career, first as a bounty-hunter, then as a pirate sailing the deadliest sea in the world. But he had spoken to him only once before, on the day Ace died.

Zoro was dreaming. He was at an operation table where Torao bent over a patient bleeding all over the floor. Machines beeped away and assistants scurried around in the organised chaos.

When he saw that the patient was Luffy, he felt his heart stop, in a surreal, distant way.

This was just a dream. He told himself. Wake up.

Then Death appeared at his side. Zoro knew what was happening.

 _What are you doing here_ Death had asked him, as if surprised.

Zoro replied, with a certainty he didn’t know existed within him _To stop you from taking her._

Death looked at him and he stared back into his empty, empty sockets, undaunted.   

 _It had not been decided_ Death finally told him. _Her coin had yet to land._

 _I won’t let you take her_ Zoro repeated.

Death stayed silent. It seemed he could remain unmoved for eons.

 _What would you give in return?_ Death asked him, testing. _O child of mine, he who had forsaken immortality, ye know this cannot be an unfair trade._

And Zoro remembered, hazily, like a forgotten dream, glimpses of a life in the dark, light only visible when he looked far, far away. The incredible chill of loneliness.

He looked at Luffy’s pale face.

 _I offer my eye as payment_ Zoro said. _With it, you will be able to see what I see. What it’s like to live._

Death smiled. _A bargain indeed._ )

 

The moon shimmered in its reflection on the sea. Waves crashed against a cliff somewhere distant. Clouds drifted on, uncaring, floating massless in the dark.

The stars spun and the world turned.

Zoro finally faced Death. “I won’t let you take her,” he said to him, again. A reminder, a vow.

Death looked at him. His single eye glowed from a socket, poison green. _The coin had landed this time_ he said. _There is no bargain to be made._

“I. Don’t. _Care_ ,” Zoro snarled. He pointed Sandai Kitetsu at him. The cursed blade glinted wickedly under the stars.

Death stared at his sword as if perplexed, or amused. _Fate is that which is inevitable._ He told him. _I will have my dues, Roronoa Zoro._

Then, he was gone.

Zoro whirled around, shocked. His first thought was that he had gone after Luffy, so he sprinted back to the campsite, his heart in his throat. But when he got there, Luffy was still sleeping soundly, undisturbed beside the banked fire, her animals around her. Zoro let out a sigh of relief and put his swords back into their sheaths with trembling hands.

When he laid down beside her, Luffy stirred awake.

“Z’ro?” she asked, still half dreaming.

Zoro kissed her forehead and held her as close as he could. “Go back to sleep.”

He stayed awake the whole night.

 

Zoro had been on edge since his meeting with – well, since. Luffy noticed, of course, but she said nothing of it. She just held on to his hand tighter whenever he started getting antsy, and she was more affectionate than usual, despite being tired and drained herself; maybe she thought Zoro was still anxious about what she told him.

Well, he was, but that wasn’t the point.

Baby was still doing good, at least. The tiny old lady came every day to make sure of that. She was with them when Jimbei brought some news.

“Some Marines are circling nearby,” Jimbei was saying.

Zoro’s head shot up at that and Jimbei hurried to reassure him. “They’re just a usual patrol unit.”

At Luffy’s side, Nyon-baa grunted as she stood up on her creaky knees with the help of her snake-staff. She was just getting ready to leave after examining Luffy. “Don’t worry,” she said. “The Princess is keeping them busy for now. If there’s anything she’s good at, it’s distraction.”

Then she turned to Luffy, stern. “The baby’s coming soon. Don’t do anything foolish.”

Luffy looked chastised. After the both of them had left, Zoro met Luffy’s eyes – he could tell she was contemplating something.

He frowned. “You promised,” he reminded her.

Luffy stayed quiet for a while, a small smile on her face. She took his hand in hers. Their callouses fit together like nothing Zoro had ever known. “I did,” Luffy agreed. “I won’t have to do it anyway, ‘cause Zoro will take care of me.” Her smile, so full of trust, was as bright as the sun.

Zoro would do anything for that smile. He didn’t say anything in return, but then again, he didn’t have to.

 

Soon after, it happened again. The contractions.

It wasn’t that bad yet, Luffy was telling him it had been going on and off for the past few days. Nyon-baa had said it was normal at the end of a pregnancy. It was just getting stronger and more regular that morning, the way it did on Fishmen Island before all the shitstorm began.

Zoro was getting ready to go to the beach, to that swordfish that would relay the message to Jimbei to bring the old lady over, when Luffy’s water broke.

Luffy looked at Zoro. Zoro stared back at Luffy.

_Shit._

“Ahh. Umm,” Luffy said, bewildered.

“Stay here,” Zoro ordered, panicking. “Shit does anything hurt or – lie down first, I – fuck –“ he randomly decided to pick Luffy up and carried her to the cave they had been staying at since it had started snowing. He had no idea what he was doing.

“Don’t move a _fucking_ muscle, Luffy, I’ll –“

“Zoro,” Luffy cut in. She held Zoro’s face so he would look at her and Zoro took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

“I’ll go get Jimbei and the old lady,” he said. Luffy’s dark eyes were staring into his. She nodded.

She gave her one last hug before he left. “Love you,” she whispered in his ear.

Zoro squeezed her small form, pressed a final kiss on her forehead. “Love you, too.”

At the mouth of the cave, he turned back to look at her one last time. “Hold tight, ok?” he told her. “I’ll be back soon.” He would not go back on his promise to her. Not this one.

Luffy smiled, guileless, trusting. Zoro _sprinted_.

He was so preoccupied when he reached the shore that he almost missed the two figures standing there.

The first was familiar; Death, as silent as the grave. Back to claim what was due.

The second – Zoro froze with disbelief when he registered his presence. The hair on the back of his neck stood on their end. Memories of an unforgettable nightmare flashed vivid in his mind’s eye, the way it did everyday during the two years in hell. He remembered the fear, the feeling of helplessness, the humiliation of utter defeat; they churned in his gut now.

“Yo~~,” Kizaru of the Marines greeted, cocking his head to a side. “Who do we have here?”

 

Kizaru, to Zoro, was many things.

Zoro’s role on the ship had never been spelled out. _He’s the swordsman!_ Luffy would say of him when introducing the crew, but they knew there was something deeper than that; the mantle of leadership Luffy sometimes casted on him, counted on him to bear, was testament to it.

He was the first mate. There were certain responsibilities that came with the title: He gave the orders when the captain was unavailable, he carried out the captain’s will and kept the crew in line, he nudged the captain back into track when she strayed. He protected them. Protected the captain.

All of this, he had failed at, that day in Sabaody.

It mattered not at all to Zoro that it was an entire miracle in itself he was still able to move that day after what Kuma put him through. He had failed, that was that. It was nobody’s fault but his.

If you followed a certain strand of thought, it could be said that the entire incident and what came after – their captain in the War without her crew to back her, the separation, Luffy’s pain, all of it –could be traced to his incompetence that day.

He had never told anyone, but he had a lot of nightmares on Kuraigana. A lot of them involved Luffy some way or another, or the blank face of a cyborg holding onto a Bible – the last scraps of his humanity. The rest had flashes of yellow light, Robin’s thousand hands blurring past beneath him, a smug face with truly stupid-looking glasses; the most threatening thing he had ever seen. His comrades were always screeching his name in the background. Luffy’s heart-wrenching scream.

He wasn’t good enough.

But he was now. He had to be. It would _not_ be his fate to lose here. He would not allow it to be. There was too much; too, too much at stake.

Zoro slipped his bandana off his arm, tied it to his forehead.

“Pirate Hunter eh~?” Kizaru drawled in that sing-song way of his. His hands were still in his pockets. “Does that mean Strawhat is on this island?”

There was no point denying it now. There was no other explanation as to why the Strawhat’s first mate would be doing on an island as remote as this.

Zoro slipped his swords from their scabbards. Shisui in his left hand, dark and unyielding. Sandai Kitetsu in his right, the problem child, as scarlet as bloodlust. Wado Ichimonji, his oldest companion, her touch as icy as death, the taste of an oath between his teeth. _I will never lose again!_

Kizaru was his first defeat after the vow he made to Luffy. Zoro remembered still, the ashy taste of it.

“Oohh, how scary,” Kizaru feigned. “Tell me, Roronoa. I heard quite the interesting rumour~~” The light in his eyes were like those of a child, how they would rip wings off butterflies in morbid curiosity. “Is Strawhat with child?”

Zoro had never understood it when people asked for what they already knew. “How did you find us?” he asked instead, voice low.

Kizaru inclined his head. “Ehh,” he said, sounding disappointed with the turn of topic. “A hunch.” Barely an answer at all. Whatever.

“But,” Kizaru continued. He had that expression on his face, that almost-smile that could mean a hundred different things. “You can expect no back-up. My men are keeping your allies at Amazon Lily quite busy at the moment.”

Zoro didn’t care. “Wouldn’t need it,” he said.

“My, my~ What confidence!” Kizaru marvelled. He finally settled into a stance that wasn’t infuriatingly condescending. “Come then!”

Throughout it all, Death watched over them, as impassive as time.


	8. What do we say to the god of Death?

_“Hey, Zoro. What happened to your eye?” Luffy asked him one day. There was no hesitance in her voice,_ _no concern. Just curiosity as she traced the faded scar over his skin. They were sitting on the figurehead that night, barely a week into the New World. Dark clouds had obscured even the stars; it made it feel as if they were sailing through an abyss. Through the unknown._

_Zoro said nothing at first. He grazed his fingers over Luffy’s newest scar. When he had last seen it two years ago, the wound was still fresh and bleeding, and her coin had yet to land._

_Zoro looked at her now, warm and breathing and inquisitive in his arms. Death had said unfair trades were forbidden, but to Zoro, it seemed he had gotten the better end of the deal. It would always seem that way to him as long as she was alive. He looked at her face and thought, what I wouldn’t give. What I wouldn’t do. For you._

_Zoro took the hand still touching his face and kissed her fingertips, one by one. Luffy’s eyes glinted in the dark. “Nothin’ important,” he told her._

Kizaru was fast. Zoro wasn’t sure if he was actually as fast as light, but he had to come pretty close. It was exhilarating, in a way; there was no time at all for any form of thought. A strike. A block. Action and reaction.

The problem with Kizaru was that his Fruit allowed him a wide range of moves. He could wield a sword made of light, fire projectiles, teleport. He could switch from melee to long-range at the drop of a hat. It made cornering him difficult. He was firing a volley of missiles at Zoro, too many to dodge, so Zoro spun in a tight circle, swinging all three of his swords, deflecting them.

Zoro saw an opening as the volley died down and _struck_ , trying to close the distance between them. To drive him away, Kizaru exploded into a ball of pure, blinding light.

Zoro pushed on. He only had one eye, and it was not what he used to sense during battle.

His blades met nothing but air. Kizaru had teleported away. _Damn it._

His opponent stood some ways behind him. “Ehh~ you almost got me that time,” he said.

Zoro stayed silent. Breath was a commodity he could not lose here. Not this fight.

“Now let’s see if I can best you at your own game,” Kizaru continued. His light-sword shimmered to life in his hands.

Zoro grinned ferally. Now this, he knew how to deal with. He charged.

A clang of steel against a beam of pure energy, a sound so loud it rang in his skull. Zoro didn’t allow himself a break to fall back. He had the advantage here as long as Kizaru wanted to engage him in close quarters; this chance would not come by easily again. Zoro _moved_ , his swords a flurry of steel. The change was minute, but he could see it; Kizaru was stuttering. He crossed Kitetsu and Shusuui, Wado Ichimonji swung down, in a move that left no room for escape –

Kizaru jumped back, superhumanly fast. There was a scratch down the side of his neck, just missing his carotid. Blood smeared his finger when he touched to inspect it. The look he gave Zoro was unreadable.

“I guess I underestimated you,” Kizaru mused. Light gathered, bigger and bigger, until it seemed that he held the sun itself in the palm of his hands. He launched the ball at Zoro.

Zoro’s eyes widened. As the ball of light flew towards him, sand turned to blackened, smoky glass beneath its trajectory. Zoro barely had time to strengthen the coat of Haki on his blades to defend before it hit him.

Zoro put down his swords slowly. The hairs on the back of his arms were singed. Something was smoking; he didn’t know what.

No time to rest, Zoro rolled to the side, a feint, then leaped forward. He drove Shuusui into where Kizaru’s heart was, only to find that he had burst into light beneath his blade again.

Zoro cursed. He had no time to turn around –

Bullets made of light riddled his back.

 

_The night offered some respite from the unforgiving sun, at least. The dinghy didn’t have a roof and unlike his new captain, Zoro didn’t have a strawhat to protect him; he was so tired of getting sunburnt._

_They floated aimlessly on the sea, guided only by the waves, because they didn’t have an anchor either. Trying to be discreet, Zoro looked at his captain from the corner of his eyes. She was lounging idly with her arms behind her head. He was finding out very quickly that there was very limited room on their humble vessel, and that Luffy had very little to no notion of personal space._

_Her face was serene, untroubled. Zoro would like to sleep too, but there was only space for one person to lie down at a time, and Luffy was hogging it at the moment. Luffy seemed to notice his predicament and grinned at him. She moved over as much as the boat would allow and patted the space beside her._

_Ahh whatever. Zoro was really too tired to argue. He laid down, pressed against his captain, trying his best not to flush, trying not to think that if he just turned his head –_

_“Look at the stars, Zoro!” Luffy exclaimed in pure wonder. Her eyes glittered with their reflection and Zoro stared, unable to look away._

_He had never seen stars more beautiful in his life._

The first thing that struck him was the smell. It reminded Zoro of Skypeia, when Luffy was struck by lightning. Something like ozone and burnt flesh. He was surprised he wasn’t bleeding more heavily, but then he realised Kizaru’s light bullets must have cauterized his wounds when they entered his body.

He forced himself to stand.

Kizaru didn’t give him a break. He got close, leg shining, and Zoro’s arms, muscle sore and aching, raised up to defend. He managed to parry the kick away, and the blow of light energy Kizaru was aiming at his head shot holes into the clouds instead.

This was…this was not good.

Zoro grit his teeth. He _would not give up._

Death stirred at the sidelines, as if to make for where Luffy was, to that cave less than a mile away, and Zoro straightened immediately. He pointed Sandai Kitetsu at him again. “Stay. Where. _You. Are!_ ”

He could feel his aura howling with bloodlust. Sand swirled at his feet, and even Kizaru jumped back in surprise.

“My my,” he said. “What have we here?” He turned to look quizzically at the spot where Zoro was pointing his sword at Death, completely opposite from where he was, and turned back to him.

Zoro ignored his question, glaring instead at Kizaru now that Death had resumed his neutral position. The last time he felt this way, he had awakened Asura. This felt distinctly different.

Kizaru was gaping at him now, or what would pass for gaping on his face. Zoro launched at him, ignoring the tiredness of his muscles, the aching of his bones, the glass beneath his feet. Kizaru backed away, forced on the defence with no room to attack. He was trying to teleport away, Zoro could tell – it was like his Observation Haki is on overdrive – and Zoro _sprung_ , up, up to where his instincts tell him Kizaru would reappear.

When Kizaru reassembled himself, he found himself faced with Zoro’s blade, already in motion, and Zoro _pushed_ with all his might. He thought of Kuma, of the pain he was able to endure. He pushed against Kizaru and imagined he was pushing against the world itself.

Kizaru had put up his Haki-covered arms to block the blow, but Zoro’s intention wasn’t to cut. Kizaru put down his guard warily, and only then did he realise he had been forced knee deep into seawater.

Too little too late.

 _Such is fate_ , Zoro thought. He drove his swords, all three of them, into Kizaru’s chest.

 

_The sun beat down mercilessly. Even with his bandana, the heat was scalding against his skin. The last time they gave him water was three days ago, food ten days ago. Flies buzzed around him, since they hadn’t allowed him to go to the bathroom either. It was humiliating, it was degrading. Zoro, with all his might and determination, held on to the last vestiges of pride he had left._

_And then he saw her, sunshine smile too big for her face. He wondered if he was hallucinating._

_She asked him to join her crew, this crazy girl._

_He agreed, in the end, as if in a fever dream. In the years to come, he would learn that he couldn’t ever refuse her._

_He wouldn’t ever want to._

_Ah, what he wouldn’t do. For her._

Zoro withdrew his swords, dripping with blood, and Kizaru, famed admiral of the Marines, fell forward into the shallow seawater without a sound, never to rise again.

Death approached him to look at Kizaru. He bent down, reached into the still body and withdrew something light and fluttering, which he enclosed carefully, delicately between the palms of his hands.

 _That which is due,_ he reminded Zoro. His eye glinted emerald, a paradoxical mirror image of its twin on Zoro’s face, then he was gone.

Zoro’s breath was still heavy. He was staggering to his feet, to where Jimbei’s swordfish was supposed to be, when he saw, in the distant, the cheerful colours of _Sunny._

Zoro almost sagged in relief. His crew was here now, help was here. He turned back, and limped to where he left Luffy.

 

“Luffy,” he gasped. He was bleeding from a hundred different places and he had to clutch at the wall to keep himself upright. When he finally reached the cave, he stilled at the sight in front of him.

Luffy was sitting in a puddle of blood, a tiny, tiny baby bundled in her old red coat, cradled so very lovingly in her arms. The most precious thing in the world.

Luffy looked up at him when he approached. She didn’t seem too surprised at his state, though she did look pleased, as if she knew he’d won.

“Zoro,” she whispered. “Look at her.”

Zoro couldn’t support his own weight all of a sudden, and he fell to his knees in front of Luffy. He drank in the sight in front of him greedily. He didn’t dare to even blink.

The baby was already asleep, and when Zoro raised a shaking hand to her, his entire palm was bigger than her head. Her hair was black, like Luffy. Her perfect, perfect eyelashes were peaceful crescents resting against her cheeks and when she stirred in Luffy’s hold, Zoro saw, for a single, disbelieving moment, that she had his eyes. His vision misted over.

Zoro turned to Luffy, exhausted, incredible Luffy, and held her close. He pressed his nose against hers, the baby – Ace – between them, and at that moment, it was as if all was right in the world.

 

…

 

He didn’t move from his spot until the rest of the crew filed in.

He heard them coming, the scuffling of their feet against light snow and the sand of the cave floor, but he was still reluctant to turn.

The shock was almost palpable in the air.

“Luffy, is that –“

“Omigod omaigawdd,” Usopp was hyperventilating.

Chopper came forward, brisk and business-like, to check Luffy and the baby over. Still high on adrenaline from the fight, Zoro unthinkingly snarled at the intrusion. Some of the crew flinched and Chopper jumped back slightly, but then his eyes hardened in determination.

“Zoro,” he said calmly. “It’s just me. I need to make sure they’re fine.”

Zoro immediately felt remorseful. Shame rose up within him. This was his family, who were worried about Luffy too. He had no right to –

He moved away. “Sorry,” he mumbled. Chopper, sweet, capable Chopper, just smiled his forgiveness.

“Guys, guys! Look!” Luffy was saying proudly. “It’s Baby. But she’s here, now!”

“…’she’?” Sanji sounded faint.

Franky and Nami were unabashedly rubbing at their eyes. Even Robin, with her perpetual poker face,  looked awestruck.

“Yes. Quite the beauty already, your daughter,” a voice said from behind them.

The crew jumped reflexively, protective. Zoro curled closer around Luffy before he saw who was talking.

Dark King Raleigh stood at the entrance of the cave. His face was a strange mixture of joy, pride and grim seriousness. “Roronoa Zoro, we need to talk.”

 

“You killed Kizaru,” Raleigh didn’t mince his words. He must have found the body.

Zoro said nothing. It was necessary. He would have done it a thousand times over if it meant Luffy and Baby – Ace – was safe.

Raleigh sighed. “When Sabo- kun told me about Luffy, I didn’t think it would come to this.” His eyes burnt into his. “You did well, Roronoa. A worthy right hand indeed.”

Zoro inclined his head, acknowledging, but not agreeing. He still wanted to see what Raleigh’s point was. What was so important that he had to tear him away from his new daughter to say.

“But you should be aware, all three of the admirals carry with them rare baby den-den mushi transmitting live video of all their activities – body cams, if you will – by the order of Sakazuki as a method of surveillance since Fujitora’s last stunt. They will know who killed him, and they will be after you.”

Raleigh’s face was set, as immovable as stone. “We will help repel some of their advances – already on Amazon Lily, Boa Hancock and Jimbei had beaten back Kizaru’s distraction unit. But ultimately, the safety of your captain, and your daughter, lies on you and your crew.”

Nothing less than what Zoro would expect, but it still clenched something within him. “Did you hear about the Buster Call?” he asked.

Raleigh nodded, troubled. “‘An enemy of god’,” he muttered. There was an undercurrent of anger in his voice. He turned to him now. “That is what they say about the family of D. Of which your newborn is a member.”

Zoro narrowed his eyes. The wave of protective instinct that rose within him spread till it seeped into every fibre of his being, settled deep in his very bones. But no matter. Let them come. Zoro will cut them down one by one, the way he did their prized admiral who was foolish enough to advance on them alone.

Raleigh seemed to be able to read what was running through his mind, and that he agreed. His face suddenly broke into a smile, eyes crinkling. He clapped his shoulder. “You’re a dependable one, aren’t you, Zoro-kun?”

 

They left Rusukaina soon after. Raleigh stood at the beach, sending them off.

“Take care, Luffy!” he called, waving. “And take care of my god-daughter and my grand-daughter, Zoro-kun!”

Luffy waved back enthusiastically. She held up Ace so Raleigh can see her. “Say bye to Raleigh, Ace!”

It wasn’t long before they were on the open sea. Zoro breathed in. He immediately felt calmer, more at peace within himself, at home. At some point during their acquaintance, Luffy’s love for the sea had rubbed off on him. Now, when he thought of the sea, he was reminded of home. Of her.

She stood beside him now, cradling Ace. “You haven’t even held her yet, have you?”

Zoro hesitated. He didn’t want to…break her, or anything.

Before he could protest, Luffy had somehow unloaded the little bundle into his arms. Zoro’s eyes widened, and he didn’t dare move a muscle. He must have looked hilarious because Luffy cackled right in his face.

“Shut up,” he muttered, embarrassed. Luffy’s rambunctious laughter died down into a fond smile, and she leaned into his side.

Ace, barely a few hours old, chose that moment to wake up. Zoro was struck again by how much of a little clone she was of Luffy, by the quiet emeralds in her eyes.

He turned to the horizon, to the open sea and sky. Freedom, unbound, as far as the eye could see. _There_ , he thought to Ace, _there lies your mother’s kingdom._

_There lies your inheritance._

 

**End of Part I**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next part will be mostly fluff. Ace has some growing up to do before plot kicks in again.  
> Do tell me what you think so far :D even if it's just to complain about the multiple deus ex machina I pulled in the previous few chapters lmao


	9. Part II

**Part II**

Something woke Zoro up in the middle of the night.

Luffy snored right into his ear, arms like a limpet around his waist. She was also drooling rather unattractively. He just lied there for a moment, blinking, still caught in the confusing limbo between sleep and awakening, when Ace’s restless cooing jolted him.

Zoro untangled himself from Luffy to fish for his shirt in the dark. It took him three tries to get his arms and head into the appropriate shirt-hole. When he finally walked up to her cot, Ace was staring at him reproachfully.

He picked her up, the motion well-practiced now, and bounced her lightly in her arms. “What’s wrong?” he mumbled sleepily. Ace’s tiny face scrunched up, displeased. Zoro hurriedly bounced her a few more times.

“’Kay, ‘kay. Gotcha,” he told her and obediently walked out the room to the kitchen. He closed the door behind him when he left, careful not to wake Luffy.

Ace, the little bugger, settled down as soon as she knew she was getting what she wanted. Zoro reached up into the cabinets to take out her formula – Sanji was apparently not as useless as he thought and actually had the foresight to stock up on baby food – and it wasn’t long before Ace was contentedly sucking on her bottle.

Zoro was staring at her when he realised that the corners of his lips were turned up, completely out of his command. He was probably smiling like an idiot. Even though no one else was around, Zoro’s head whipped about to make sure no one saw. He tried to school his features into something more stoic.

Ace looked at him knowingly over her bottle. Zoro frowned at her. “What?” he asked. Great. Now he was trying to have a conversation with a literal neonate. He suspected that his baby was judging him, but he squashed the thought with determination.

Since when did he acquire such an imagination?

After Ace had finished her formula, Zoro put the empty bottle into the sink and hugged her close with both arms. Ace gurgled happily at the attention, and all of a sudden, Zoro was loathe to going back to sleep.

Could you blame him? Luffy would have hogged Ace if she was awake. She had taken to carrying her around everywhere in a sling-thingy and talking all sorts of nonsense to her. Zoro barely had a chance to hold her.

Ahh whatever. Since they were both up anyway.

Zoro decided to take her to the deck. The night was slightly chilly, so Zoro tucked the red coat around Ace more securely.

Usopp was on watch. He had set up practice targets on the deck and was shooting them with different types of ammo, probably out of sheer boredom, since they all know he could shoot at a mark an island away. He grinned when he saw them.

“Hi Ace~” he gushed, completely ignoring Zoro. He set down his slingshot and made grabby motions with his hands.

Zoro scowled. He held on tighter to Ace.

Usopp pouted, though he would have denied vehemently should you ask him. “Fine, ya selfish asshole.” He pulled faces at Ace instead, trying to get her to laugh. Ace gave him her judging-est look yet.

Zoro stopped himself from laughing. He couldn’t help but feel smug. Over the few weeks, they had learned that Ace had already developed a preference for Zoro and Luffy, and that she was only ever giggly in their presence. Before Usopp can get truly offended by the lack of response from a baby of all things, Zoro asked him, “It’s quiet, eh?”

Usopp gave a mock salute. “Yup! Nothing to report, Zoro-san! Spotted a pod of seakings over yonder few hours ago and the clouds up north looked slightly stormy but it had been a mind-numbingly uneventful watch otherwise!” Zoro tried to remember the last time he had heard anyone use the word ‘yonder’.

Face suddenly sly, his crewmate went on brightly, “In fact, it had been so absolutely boring, I had started to converse with every blade of grass on the lawn. Why the Prince of Grass himself-“

“Fine, fine,” Zoro interrupted gruffly. He could never tell if Usopp’s tall tales were just him being overly sarcastic or not. “You can go back to sleep if you want. I’ll take over.” It was near the time when the rest would wake up anyway, there was no point going back to bed now.

Usopp looked eager. “If you want, I could take Ace and –“

“No. Thank you.”

“Meanie.”

With that exchange over, Zoro went to the railing beside the figurehead with Ace. He didn’t climb up though – sitting in Luffy’s special seat when she wasn’t around was always weird in a way he couldn’t explain. It was still cold out, so when Ace cooed, Zoro wrapped the warm coat around her. His own arms were bare; the new hairs on the back of his shiny, still-red arms, only starting to grow back since his duel, stood up to an end.

Ace quieted, content now. She looked up at him, smile gummy, and waved her tiny, wriggly hands at him. Zoro felt himself soften almost immediately in response. He kissed Ace, once on the top of her fluffy head, on her adorable button of a nose next. She squealed in delight, the prelude to the laughter Chopper said would only develop in a few months. It tinkled like joy in his ears.

Together, with his daughter, Zoro watched as dawn broke.

 

Ace’s birth had given Luffy back all of her old energy, it seemed. Zoro had almost forgotten what an absolute terror she was before this. She was climbing up the rigging right now, scuttling, for reasons currently unknown to him. God knows why she didn’t just catapult herself up and save them all the spectacle of her impersonation of a cave lizard. Ace was strapped onto her back.

Her joyous laughter rang out, unbridled and carefree. The wind whipped her hair about her face and tore the sound from her lips, scattered it to all the ends of the earth.

Zoro had missed her. The part of him that only had room for anxiety and fear for the past few months slowly uncoiled. He allowed himself to grin. On her lounge chair, Robin gave him a knowing look over her sunglasses, which Zoro ignored.

Was he staring? He didn’t really care at the moment.

Luffy was turning in a slow circle. She whispered something to Ace; a mother’s secret words.

A prickle at the edge of his senses interrupted Zoro’s thoughts. He saw the exact moment when Luffy sensed it too. She turned to the direction where a rival ship came soon into view.

Even from this far down, Zoro could make out her grin of anticipation.

 

Before the ship had even approached, Luffy had put Ace back into the safety of her cot. She was on the _Sunny’s_ head now, cracking her knuckles, the crew battle-ready beside her. Zoro stood at his place on her right, forever and always.

He had missed this _so much._

 

Scrubs, all of them.

Zoro took down this band of pitiful invaders with ease. He liked a challenge, normally, but there certainly was something cathartic about being able to cut through their attackers like they were grass, especially after what they had been through. The ease of it helped reassure Zoro that maybe, maybe they were ready for what was yet to come.

The usual chaos swirled around him. _Sunny_ bobbed diligently on. It was then that Zoro noticed something different about their invaders:

They weren’t actually fighting.

Instead, they curved around the Strawhats when they had a chance to do so. One of them had a hand on one of the cabin doors before Sanji kicked his teeth in. The frown on his stupid swirly brow told him he had caught on too.

Zoro’s eyes widened in realisation. _Ace._

Before he could even react to it, there was a loud crash from in front of the captain’s quarters. One of their enemies was punched so hard into the floor, the wood beneath had cratered. The imprints of Luffy’s fist could be seen on the fractures of his cheekbones. A wooden door was all that kept Ace from all the fighting outside and Luffy stood in front of it, radiating quiet anger. Zoro could hear Ace crying. It rends something in Zoro that his daughter was afraid. He could tell Luffy felt the same. Her face was as dark as an incoming storm.

The rest of the pirates backed up, scared now. Plenty of their old enemies had underestimated Luffy. It wasn’t hard to; Luffy was tiny, and her cheer was usually so infectious. Even when she was beating up her opponents, joy was always there, humming beneath her skin; her love for the thrill of a fight.

None of that was present when Luffy turned her wrathful eyes to their enemies. Haki shimmered in the air like a reckoning, creaking the wood of the ship, but not enough to make their enemies faint. Zoro knew she wanted them to remember this, to fear her rage. It was not unlike how it was with the Dragon years ago, when a friend was felled right in front of her.

She walked slowly towards the rest of their attackers. Her footsteps echoed in the sudden quiet. Her iconic strawhat had shaded half of her face – it made her look almost ominous.

The Strawhats all stood back and watched as their captain swept all their attackers into the sea. Before they left, she splintered their enemy ship with a single punch.

 

Luffy hugged Ace close to her, saying soothing nonsense with animated faces to try and calm her down. Zoro felt as if he had ants all over his legs, so restless that he was. The embers of rage, too, simmered within him, banked by the protectiveness he felt over their baby. He couldn’t stop himself from hovering. He had an arm around Luffy’s waist as she continued rocking their crying daughter. At least Ace had started to quiet down. Each one of her tiny hiccups made Zoro wish he could go back and cut them all down again.

Around them, the crew was grim. “So, we all saw that, right?” Nami spat, nose wrinkled, as if unable to believe that anyone on the surface of the earth could be _so foolish._

The rest nodded. “They were after Ace-chan,” Sanji seethed. His right foot was still smoking. “How _fucking dare they.”_

Luffy looked up at them. Her arms never stopped bouncing Ace. “They know,” she said, tone even. “The Marines musta’ leaked it.”

“Ugh!!” Usopp looked like he was going to tear his hair out. “Always! Those stupid Marines! I wish they’d all go die!” Several heads nodded in empathic agreement.

Zoro closed his eyes and sighed. He pressed his nose into the side of Luffy’s head. There was nothing to be done now; they’d just had to be extra vigilant during fights from now on.

Franky was stroking his chin, looking thoughtful. “That laser-beam cot sounds useful right now, huh?” He nodded to himself, then to Luffy, he said. “How bout this, Luffy? I’ll build Ace a safe room. You can put her in there when there’s a fight going on.”

Luffy beamed. This close to her, Zoro could feel some of her tension leave her shoulders. “Thanks, Franky,” she said, grateful.

Franky gave her a thumbs-up, smiling reassuringly. He got to work immediately. The rest of the crew, even Brook, who was inept with anything remotely resembling carpentry, helped out.

 

The mystery of the leak was solved one day when their News Coo came.

They had just finished with the safe room. It was located deep in the ship, behind the aquarium room, and was assessable by a door which was almost two-feet thick. Inside it, Franky had built another cot for Ace. The laser idea was vetoed by Zoro, to the disappointment of Chopper, Usopp and Luffy, because he didn’t want it accidentally hitting Ace. The room was also airtight, so in the very unlikely event that _Sunny_ had sunk, there would still be enough oxygen for a few days.

Franky was showing them the security features on the door when Sanji, who had been upstairs preparing lunch, ran in. He shoved that day’s newspaper into their faces.

Zoro’s eyes fell on the headline:

**Admiral Kizaru killed in action. Strawhat’s Pirate Hunter to blame**

**…** Well, he couldn’t say he hadn’t been expecting this.

The crew was watching him, so Zoro just stared at the article, unsure how to response. They had only known about this because Chopper was horrified at the wounds he had sustained, that he had overlooked because he was so preoccupied with Luffy and Ace. Zoro didn’t even want to tell them at first, but Raleigh was right. His crew had to know, if only to prepare for what was to come. Luffy had looked at him with so much fierce pride in her eyes when he had told them. The rest…he didn’t know.

Wordlessly, Sanji showed them another piece of paper. It was his updated wanted poster.

**WANTED**

**DEAD OR ALIVE**

**RORONOA ZORO**

**1,000,000,000**

Holy shit. One billion fucking Beri.

“Wait, there’s more,” Sanji said. Another wanted poster was presented to them. It was strangely wordy for one, and instead of a picture, there was only the artist’s impression of what looked like a very generic baby with dark hair.

**WANTED**

**DEAD OR ALIVE**

**The child of Monkey D. Luffy**

**And Roronoa Zoro**

**A Child of Death**

**100,000,000**

Dead silence as the crew digested this. Zoro reached out to pull Luffy close. Ace, as always, was cradled in her arms, peacefully asleep at the moment. Luffy looked up at him and he saw the iron of her stubborn determination. He knew Luffy would _not_ let anything happen to Ace.

He kissed the top of her head. He wouldn’t too.

This was…weird. They had always been so candid about their wanted posters, to the point where they treated it as some type of badge of honour. It felt distinctly different when the bounty was put on his daughter, who was not even old enough to eat solid food yet. He remembered Robin’s warning from months ago, about how the Marines would _not_ care. Guess she was right.

Robin was humming thoughtfully now. “I suppose we know now why they were after Ace-chan,” she mused. “A defenceless baby seemed to them to be easy money.” Her eyes gleamed with an intent that could only be described as ‘calmly murderous’.

Luffy swept her eyes over them. “This changes nothing,” she declared. “We’ll kick their butts if they come, that’s all.”

Her crew straightened themselves, resolve renewed. “Aye aye!” they chorused.

Sometime later, there was apparently an agreement made amongst the rest of the crew that any increase in bounty was a cause for celebration, no matter the cause, and a party had been thrown in his honour. It seemed his family knew him better than he thought, and they took some pretty stupid measures to ensure Zoro knew they supported him, no matter what he thought _they_ thought of him. Nami in particular was weirdly protective of him, and when she didn’t know how to deal with that, she channelled her emotions into being aggressive towards him instead.

“Don’t you dare, Roronoa,” she warned when she was slightly tipsy. Luffy, leaning heavily against him with a corncob in hand, watched the scene unfold with interest. Her dark eyes were alit with suppressed mirth. “Just try to _think_ that we don’t – that we’re –“ Words seemed to fail Nami and she stomped her feet, frustrated.

“Just _try_ to push us away, do you hear me?? Just try! We’re not…scared of you, or whatever bullshit you think, you moron. Do you hear me?” she shouted, despite him being only two feet away from her.

Robin had somehow slipped to sit beside him without him noticing. “I would have had done the same in your position,” she said, tone light as if she was not discussing murder.

Zoro looked down. His face felt hot. “Yea, yea. Whatever,” he muttered. To hide his smile, he took a swing of his sake. He would die before he admitted that took a load off his chest, but when he saw Luffy’s knowing grin from the corner of his eye, he knew there was no hiding from her, at least.

After, when the crew had passed out, Zoro threw a blanket over Luffy and the girls, who had all fallen asleep in a pile on the lawn. He walked to where Ace was in their room. She perked up when she saw him and her limbs jerked excitedly.

Zoro picked her up, breathed her in. Ace smelled like her formula and baby powder, something sweet and flowery that Usopp had picked out – lavender or something – and it calmed something within him. When he placed a hand behind her back, he could feel her heartbeat, small and faster than an adult’s; it was as if he was holding something as fragile as a bird.

…the wanted poster, they had called his daughter a Child of Death. They couldn’t have known, could they? How would they even come to that…outlandish conclusion?

Ace gurgled and whacked a small fist at his face, breaking him from his thoughts. Zoro smiled and kissed her cheeks.

It could be nothing. They called Robin the Devil’s Child for no reason too since she was eight. It was just a stupid moniker. And really, Luffy was right, this changed nothing. He would just have to cut down whoever was stupid enough to harm his daughter, is all.

Ace’s eyes glowed emerald, fae-like in the dark.

 

“We’re going to have to disguise ourselves,” Nami announced one day during breakfast. They were near an island with inhabitants, and supplies were running low. Most of them were also starting to get stir crazy from staying on a ship for too long, and subtle threats and hints had been dropped when it was suggested that only a few of them get off due to the whole ‘Buster Call’ situation. Sanji had been prepared to fight Zoro to be able to go.

Nami continued, “If we do that, and if some of us lay low –“ here she glared at Luffy, in particular “- we can all go.”

Luffy swallowed her bacon and raised her hand. “I wanna be a robot, then! No one suspects a robot!” she said impassionedly. She actually believed she was being convincing.

Zoro snorted. Ace, who was feeding in his lap, made a small noise of protest when her bottle shook.

Nami gritted her teeth. “A robot isn’t exactly the idea of ‘lying low’, is it though?”

“Oi! That’s discrimination…or something,” Franky protested. Nami pretended not to hear.

Luffy nodded slowly in understanding. “How about moustaches? It’ll be like Dressrosa again! We did so well there!” To the side, Chopper and Usopp were suppressing their giggles. They could tell what was coming from a mile away. Zoro wisely moved his seat when he saw the nerve ticking on Nami’s forehead. The yelp Luffy gave when Nami bonked her on her head sounded painful.

In the end, Nami wrangled Luffy in a dress – (“What?? But dresses are lame,”Luffy had said, wrinkling her nose, before she noticed Nami’s quelling glare of doom and giving in meekly) – and the distinct scar under her eye had been covered by a layer of Nami’s make-up. Hat they hid under a sunhat that Nami dug out from the depths of her closet.

She also forced Zoro to put soot in his hair because ‘who the hell has green hair’. He didn’t really care much, as long as he got to stretch his legs a bit.

“What do you need to get, Luffy?” she asked in a threatening voice before they parted. They were going to take the mini Merry to the island, so that the _Sunny_ could be anchored where she wouldn’t be seen.

“Baby stuff,” Luffy answered dutifully.

“What sort of baby stuff?”

Luffy painfully tried to recall. “Like…milk and diapers…clothes…right?”

Nami nodded. She whirled onto Zoro, making him jump. “And what time are we leaving?”

Oh shit. “…evening?”

Nami looked heavenwards and muttered something, as if she was praying. “Yes. Make sure you two are back by then, hear me? If not, I’m throwing all the meat and booze overboard.” It was a common threat she made. Zoro still didn’t have the guts to call her on it.

When they were finally left alone, Zoro turned to Luffy, who had Ace in her arms. He raised an eyebrow at her, “I thought you were the captain.”

Luffy shrugged helplessly. “Nami’s scary.”

Well, he wasn’t going to argue with that. From the bustling port they had landed in, Zoro could see the bright noon sun. A pleasant breeze was blowing. It made Nami’s dress, loose on Luffy’s less busty frame, billow behind her. Luffy clutched a hand to the sunhat so it wouldn’t fly away. Ace was in a good mood too. She made tiny gurgly noises when Zoro looked down at her.

Around them, life went on as usual. No one paid them much attention. Zoro guessed they just looked like any normal family with their new baby. He breathed in deep, fresh air filled his lungs. God knows how much he needed this after the stress of the past few months.

Luffy took his hand unthinkingly and led him into town. Zoro followed, half-smiling. It was a good day.


	10. Oh, halcyon days

“Four hundred…twenty…seven.”

The metal ends of the weight clinked as Zoro held it straight in an imitation of a sword slash. The sound echoed around the quiet of the observation room. A bead of sweat rolled into his eye. Zoro blinked rapidly to get it out.

“Four hundred…twenty…eight.”

Another slash forward. Zoro forced his burning shoulders to hold their position. The scars he gained from Kizaru a few months ago held tight, inflexible still in their relative novelty.

 _Scars on a swordsman’s back is the worst dishonour,_ he remembered his sensei saying a long time ago in a sleepy winter village, the impassive sakura trees swaying outside. He remembered adhering to that mantra with the ignorant fanatism of youth. The Zoro of the past had no idea what would be at stake. _He who knows nothing of the world._

Luffy and Ace…They’d changed him, in a fundamental way he was starting to learn.

“Four hundred…twenty…nine.” He repeated his motion. Another…seventy-one more. He wondered what was lunch.

He didn’t close the door all the way when he came in because he liked to be able to hear what was going on down below. It slid open now.

“Un gaa,” Ace said importantly as she crawled in. Zoro smiled at her, but otherwise didn’t change his stance. He held on still to the weights.

“What are you doing here?” he grunted. _Four hundred and thirty._

Ace went to him, traversing the equipment strewn all over the floor with the air of an explorer crossing mountain ranges, until she could pull on the leg of his pants. She looked immensely proud of herself. Her big eyes sparkled up at him.

Ahh whatever. Zoro set down the weights in their racks and bent down to pick her up. Ace laughed in delight in his arms and Zoro couldn’t help smiling in response. He bounced her once. “How did you get up here?” Ace still hadn’t figured out stairs, the last time he checked.

Ace patted his chest. “Bah da,” she replied. Zoro nodded, pretending to be serious. He was probably getting sweat all over her clothes, he realised, then ignored the fact. They had to bathe her soon anyway.

Luffy’s face popped out from behind the door. “There you are, Ace!” She was carrying a bowl of mushy…something. “I brought your lunch~”

She went to take Ace from Zoro but the baby promptly turned her head away and tucked herself more into Zoro’s neck, despite how sweaty he was.

Zoro gave Luffy a smug look. “She likes me better,” he gloated.

Luffy scowled. “C’mon, Ace~ Look! Sanji made it special for you!” She showed the bowl to Ace, trying to bribe her. Ace slowly turned towards her food. Her eyes trailed after the bowl as Luffy waved it around.

Zoro rolled his eyes. She really was Luffy’s. He relented and passed Ace off to her and she immediately made to grab the bowl with her chubby hands. Luffy let her have at it, despite the mess it was bound to make.

Luffy smiled slyly at Zoro now. “You were saying?” she asked, irritatingly superior.

Zoro refused to answer her. He took a towel to wipe his face. “Did she climb all the way up here?” he said instead.

Luffy brightened. She beamed at Ace, whose face was already sticky with mush. “Did you?” she gushed. “That’s awesome, Ace! Let’s go see you do it again!”

Without preamble, Luffy raced off with Ace and Zoro was left alone again. He huffed, amused, and went back to his weights.

_Four hundred and thirty-one._

_Four hundred and thirty-two._

Zoro suspected that he was getting lazy, but it was hard not to be so when the sun was just warm enough and the wind was cool and soothing out in the lawn, where he was attempting to take a nap. His whole body felt languid and melty. Luffy was holding onto Ace’s hands nearby, trying to get her to walk, and Usopp and Chopper were cheering her on. Their playful encouragement and Ace’s babbles made everything seem even more idyllic. It was a good day to just, not do anything.

After the whole fiasco on Rusukaina, their life had been pretty chill. Yea so they had to put on stupid disguises every time they make land, and they couldn’t stay as long as he would like, but besides that, everything had been peaceful. Zoro had been expecting disaster after the wanted posters came out a few months ago, to be honest.

Maybe their bad luck had finally ran out, or maybe the gods had finally decided to cut them some slack. Or…or maybe, the Marines had decided they weren’t worth the risk anymore since he took down one of their Admirals, the way they didn’t bother with the Emperors. Whatever it was, Zoro hoped it stayed this way. He leaned back and tried to be lulled to sleep by _Sunny’s_ rocking.

“Ooh Zoro! Zoro, look! She’s coming to you.” Usopp cried.

Zoro opened his eyes, and sure enough, Ace was making her way towards him. She had a look of pure determination on her face. Her steps were slow and unsure, but she was doing really well without Luffy supporting her.

Zoro opened his arms in invitation. “C’mere Baby. You can do it.”

Ace hesitated. She took a step…and almost fell onto her face.

Zoro caught her just in time. “You did good, Ace,” he praised, holding her close. Ace looked comically disgruntled for an almost one-year-old. It made Zoro snort. “You did. Honest,” he said again, trying to reassure her. He could tell Ace was having none of it.

Ace struggled out of his hold. Zoro let her go. “Fine, fine. Go to Mama.”

He settled back into his spot under the rails to watch his daughter make her first steps towards Luffy. She made it this time, and Usopp and Chopper whooped in celebration while Luffy laughed and threw Ace into the air. Their eyes met just as she caught her. When Zoro smiled at her, Luffy’s answering one was as blinding as the sun. It made Zoro feel warm in ways he could never explain.

Zoro put his arms behind his head and went back to his nap. He hoped no one saw the sappy look he knew was on his face.

 

Finally, after months and months of inactivity, some excitement on the ship – The Strawhats were throwing a birthday party.

…Sure, why not, Zoro supposed.

Usually, whenever it was one of their birthdays, Sanji just made whatever was their favourite food, or maybe a birthday cake if he was feeling especially kind, and that was that. Luffy saw them just as opportunities to swindle him into cooking all of whatever was left of their food rations and she occasionally succeeded. The others didn’t especially care for birthdays either, since they had a party one every other week anyways. There were so many other more important things to celebrate other than them getting older, like, surviving their latest run-in with an Emperor for example, or Luffy saving a nation again; birthdays just paled in comparison as a reason for festivities.

It was different this time. Apparently, it was a SIN not to throw one for a baby’s first birthday, or that was what Usopp had told him solemnly. He assured Zoro that there was a special level in hell where those who ignored this golden rule were punished, those heathens.

Even Sabo had known of the significance, it seemed. A crow had stopped by earlier, silent as a shadow and had flown off after dropping a brown package containing an orange beanie with two smiley faces on it.

Alright then, a birthday party it was.

There were also other things he was unaware of too, such as the need for copious number of balloons and ribbons in addition to the food. Franky had made special fireworks, because, they would just _love_ to attract whomever else were in these waters to come and celebrate with them. They might even get some Marines to attend. That would be fun.

Zoro…was only cranky because he was confused. He liked parties as much as the rest of them, after all.

The rest of the crew went all out on their last shopping trip, and the result were the various celebratory thingamabobs that now decorate _Sunny_.

A huge banner with ‘Happy 1st Birthday Ace!!!!!!!’ (with exactly that many exclamation points and a cartoon of Ace’s face) was hung in the main deck, drawn to meticulous detail by Usopp. Smaller versions of them lined random parts of the ship – Zoro knew for certain there was one behind the door of the toilet, for some reason. Cheerful balloons floated about – green, yellow, red, blue and all the shades of the rainbow.  Some of them had committed suicide off the side of the ship and was now floating forlornly behind them like a trail of brightly-coloured breadcrumbs.

Chopper had demanded they got canned streamers. He had gone nuts with it and he had gotten the rest of the crew involved too. There was a war with the streamers as ammo at some point and pieces of stringy…stuff now hung from everyone’s hair. Brook had a streamer moustache that no one had bothered to tell him about. It stayed on for the whole day as he went around the ship playing ‘Happy Birthday’ on his violin over and over until everyone got sick of it.

Ace, the star of the day, was a little terror on her stubby legs. She had been going crazy running about since she figured out how to use them, but it seemed the excitement in the air had infected her and she was wearing Zoro down more than usual, chasing her down before she performed some potentially fatal feat of acrobatics off the top of a furniture. Luffy was no help because she was the one egging her on, laughing her head off all the while.

All of this was just during the preparation. That cake had better be worth it.

Finally, Sanji yelled at them through the kitchen door to ‘sit the fuck down’ when the food was ready and there was a subsequent mad scramble for the closest spot to the food. Zoro sat down sedately with Ace in his lap. She was looking around with big eyes, thumping on the table enthusiastically in a gesture Zoro was beginning to recognise as ‘Food! Now!’

Zoro patiently removed the table cloth from her mouth. “In a minute, Ace,” he told her.

Ace turned to him, giggling. She bounced in his lap. “Gaa da bah gee!” she declared. Her eyes sparkled in excitement.

Zoro smiled. He almost forgave her for running him haggard the whole afternoon. She was lucky she was cute. “Yes, yes.”

The dishes were brought out by Franky and Chopper, and when Sanji brought out the main attraction – the completely unnecessarily elaborate cake – everyone _ooh_ -ed and _ahh_ -ed appropriately.

“Wait! WAIT!” Sanji shouted before they fell onto it like a pack of hyenas. “Ace-chan has to make a birthday wish!”

Zoro was trying to restrain her at that very moment from crawling onto the table. “She can’t talk yet, idiot cook.”

Sanji glowered at him as he lit one single candle. “Well, you and Luffy can do it for her then, stupid marimo.” He placed it on the top tier of the cake.

“Me! Me! I’ll go first!” Luffy shot up eagerly beside him, almost knocking him over with her elbow. “I wish that Ace will always have meat and she’ll have lots of adventures when she grows up and that she’ll always be free and we’ll always be there for her!”

“And you? Marimo?” Everyone turned to him.

Zoro stilled. _What did he want for Ace?_

He looked down numbly at her, his only daughter in the world, who seemed to have detected his abrupt change in mood. She patted his face, curious and concerned. “Dee gah? Dada?”

Zoro had been focused on just keeping her safe ever since he had known of her existence, to make sure she would make it to this world. After all they had been through – the Buster Call, fighting a Rust man on the ocean floor, cutting down an Admiral made of light who at one point had seemed invincible, the appearance of Death himself – sometimes, it still seemed surreal that she was here, safe and whole. And that a year had passed, and she was happy and growing, the most perfect little girl Zoro had ever known. He could already see Luffy in her – her foolhardy stubbornness, that unwillingness to be bound. Sometimes Ace would stay quiet just watching the sea as if she knew –

If there was one thing he could wish for her, just one…

 _I wish…I wish that fate would be kind_. “I wish…she’ll have many more happy Happy Birthdays.”

They blew out the candle.

 

After, everyone hung around the lawn to watch the fireworks. They were spectacular; Franky had really outdone himself this time.

Bursting fireflowers lit up the night sky like a shower of shooting stars. When Zoro turned his head where he was lying, he could see them reflected in Luffy’s eyes.

( _“Look at the stars, Zoro!”_ )

Ace, tuckered out by all the festivities, slept soundly on his other side.

 

Another day, another random town.

Zoro thought he had finally figured out why their lives had been so peaceful lately. It all boiled down to this: they simply didn’t have the time to mess around. Now, whenever they landed on an island, they just bought whatever they need, maybe have a meal, walk around a bit, then they got the hell out of there before they could get caught up in a rebellion or whatnot.

This particular town reminded him of Shimotsuki village, actually. The people here were courteous and polite, the type that would mostly keep to themselves. Their houses were low and square with tiled roofs that curled up in their ends. Well-maintained bamboo gardens were common. It was autumn then, and the trees looked like they were on fire, their red leaves rustling in the wind.

He didn’t have any errands to run today, so he was just sitting around in a teahouse. He would usually prefer sake, but well, his sensei liked tea, and the village was making him feel nostalgic. His hair was black again and he had taken off his earrings. At his hip, Wado Ichimonji rested alone; her brothers had been left on _Sunny_ because carrying three swords around had become his icon of sorts, like Luffy’s strawhat. He was lucky his disguise was relatively simple. Franky, on the other hand, had to wear a giant coat and pretend he was just really, really fat while Brook had taken to wearing helmets or masks all the time when they were not aboard the _Sunny_. It was actually pretty hilarious to see him come up with excuses when he was asked about it. He had said he was ‘just so cripplingly shy’ once before, and other times he claimed he had skin that was far too sensitive to the sun.

He was enjoying his _sencha_ at an outside booth when he saw Ace toddling towards him from the stone-paved streets. Her stuffed banana-crocodile was clutched in one hand.

“Dada!” she cried, running straight into his arm. He barely had a chance to put down his teacup.

“Hey Baby,” he grinned and kissed her chubby cheeks, pink from the slight cold. She was wearing the beanie Sabo had sent her and Luffy had wrapped a scarf around her neck this morning. When he put her in his lap, Ace immediately showed interest in the mochi he had on his table. He let her have it.

Luffy followed some ways behind. She had a bunch of shopping bags with her. “Hey, Zoro!” she called, forgetting to not use his real name, as usual. She put her bags on the floor and sat down beside him to watch Ace nibble experimentally at the mochi with rapt attention. Zoro swore her eyes never left it.

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll order another one for you,” he said.

Luffy beamed, batting her eyelashes. “Really? You’re the best!”

“Uh-huh.”

After waving down the waitress and placing the order, Zoro looked around to see if anyone else was coming. “Where’re Brook and Sanji?” he asked. They were supposed to be with her today.

“I got bored following ‘em, so they let me come find you.” Without him noticing, Luffy had stolen his tea. She took tentative sips of it, testing the temperature, and when she found it wasn’t too hot, she proceeded to down the whole thing in one gulp.

Zoro witnessed the whole thing with horror. “That’s not how you drink tea!”

Luffy looked at him, mischievous and sly. She slowly snaked her hand to the entire teapot.

“Luffy, don’t –“

“My, aren’t you adorable!” A voice interrupted. Zoro and Luffy looked up to see the waitress had come back with their mochi. She set their order down on the table and wiggled her fingers at Ace. “What’s her name?”

“A- Anne!” Luffy squeaked. That little pause was Zoro elbowing her in the gut before she could say Ace’s real name.

“What a pretty name! And how old is she?”

“She’s one!” Luffy answered, grinning.  Wary of strangers as usual, Ace buried her face into Zoro’s neck and stole suspicious peeks at the waitress.

“Aww, she’s a shy one, isn’t she,” the waitress cooed. “Well I’ll let her get back to eating. Bye now!” She waved at Ace.

Ace, who had just learned the gesture, waved back hesitantly.

Luffy immediately inhaled the mochi as soon as the waitress left. It gave Zoro a few moments of peace, at least.

Ace had finished her share, and was playing ‘smoosh Dada’s face’ when she suddenly perked up at the commotion starting on the street, where a bunch of people in white were slowly walking by. The first one in the group was carrying a prayer bell in one hand and waving some incense around in his other.

Luffy swallowed what was in her mouth. “Whassat? A parade?” she asked.

“It’s a funeral procession,” Zoro answered quietly. It was like the one Kuina had.

Sure enough, a casket was soon carried past them. Ace started squirming in his lap. She pointed at the end of the group, “Uhn da gah!”

Zoro tried to see what got her so interested. His heart almost stopped.

Death was gliding past them, following the procession. He paid them no mind at all.

Ace waved at him as he passed. “Ba bai.”


	11. As fleeting as childhood

 

_(“Happy Birthday, Ace!”)_

_Two years old_

Zoro was lying on his belly in the saferoom, which had recently been converted into a pseudo-bedroom/ playroom for Ace. Toys were strewn everywhere – teddy bears, blocks, robots that shot lasers (the blinky type, not the _pew pew pew_ type), picture books, et cetera – that no one had bothered to tidy up since Ace was just going to pull them out from the large wooden chest in the corner again. The red coat that was once Luffy’s, that Ace simply couldn’t live without now, was thrown haphazardly over a chair. Zoro wondered if they were spoiling her. He really had no idea how other people treated their kids.

Ace had demanded that they colour this afternoon, and instead of picking Usopp, or Luffy, who at least had something resembling a creative streak, she had pulled Zoro into her room. Zoro still hadn’t figured out how to refuse her, even if drawing didn’t sound that appealing. The last time he held a pencil must have been, like, five years ago. He really didn’t remember.

Ace had the most determined look of concentration on her face. She wasn’t drawing as much as she was shoving her crayons around on the piece of paper. Sometimes, her over-enthusiastic strokes coloured the floor. It had gotten to the point where the floor around her was as decorated as her paper. Zoro didn’t stop her. It just seemed such a shame when she was so absorbed. They could always clean up afterwards anyways.

Zoro rested his chin on a hand and watched her. She had stuck a tongue out in concentration. Ace must be the most serious little girl in the world. His own paper was filled with doodles of katanas. At one of its corners was his impression of Luffy beating up a dragon. He had made her look like an abomination; at certain angles, you couldn’t tell which one of his stick figures was her and which was the dragon.

Zoro hastily hid his work under his arm. “Whatcha got there?” he asked Ace.

Ace scrunched her brows. Her nose was wrinkled – she looked so much like Luffy when she did that – and put some finishing touches on a yellow blob. “Sun’,” she answered.

“The sun?”

Ace shook her head. “No. Sunn’! Sahn nee!” she corrected. She looked at Zoro reproachfully.

Zoro…was getting scolded by a two-year-old, for not understanding her masterpiece. He nodded slowly. Actually, he could kind of see it. The two blobs in the middle of the big blob could be _Sunny’s_ eyes, he thought.

…who was he kidding. He remembered the truly unfortunate caricature of their Jolly Roger Luffy had forced on Laboon, years ago. Between the two of them, it was no wonder their daughter had zero to no talent in the art department.

He turned his own paper over and started on a new painting. He decided to draw Ace, so the abomination on the other side of his paper could have a daughter too.

Luffy looked into the room. “Ooh, are you two drawing?” It had been her turn today to scrap barnacles. She must have already finished.

Ace turned towards her, smile wide. “Mama!” she called, holding up her drawing to show Luffy. It was upside-down.

Luffy crouched down to look at it. “That’s a really cool drawing of _Sunny_ , Ace,” she praised, impressed.

…how.

She turned to him now, eyebrows raised. Zoro reluctantly showed Luffy his. She just stood there, scrutinising it for a while and when she looked back at him, Zoro thought he saw pity in her eyes.

“I can tell you tried,” she said, lips curled into a condescending smile. Her tone pissed Zoro off.

Luffy laughed at the expression on his face. She put her fingers to the corners of his lips, turning his scowl into a grimacing smile. “Don’t pout.”

Zoro turned away. “…wasn’t pouting.”

Ace pulled at Luffy’s shorts insistently. “Mama! D’aw!”

Luffy beamed. “Sure!” She got herself a piece of paper and got started on drawing something green.

Zoro, competitive, picked a new crayon too.

 

It wasn’t the first time Zoro thought this: Ace must be the most spoilt child in the world.

It was just her luck that she would have seven doting uncles and aunts (or grandpa, in Brook’s case) who would do anything at all for her. There was also the case of the Competition. Zoro didn’t know when it started, but there was a race in the crew to see who could give Ace the most toys in a bid to win her affection, because despite staying together, Ace was still very much subdued in front of people who were not him or Luffy. So, obviously, the rest had come to the conclusion that the best course of action would be to bribe her with gifts. Zoro wasn’t sure, but he thought even Sabo might have caught wind of the Competition via mysterious telepathic uncle powers, because he would frequently send her stuff via crows too.

Too bad for them though, because Ace’s current favourite toy was the world’s ugliest stuffed banana-crocodile called Shark, that Zoro had gotten her on a whim when she was still a baby. She absolutely loved it because it was green, her favourite colour, and insisted on carrying it around despite it being frayed and patched to death. One of its spikes was missing because Ace had bitten it off when she was teething.

Amongst the rest, the best contender had to be Franky. He was creative and resourceful, and unlike the others, he could just make toys for Ace.

The both of them were sitting on the floor of the main deck now. Zoro could see from where he was fixing up the roof of the observation room that Franky had laid out parts, and was tinkering with some cogs. Ace, although quiet as usual, watched closely as sparks flew.

“Alright, Ace, I’m almost done. Just need to – there we go!” Franky said. In his palm was a music box with butterflies and birds. He presented it to Ace with a flourish.

Ace took it and turned it over, puzzled. “Wha’s it?”

“It’s a music box, see? You turn this knob here and – ta-dah!”

The music box stirred to life. The butterflies and birds flapped their wings in synchrony, moving on a mechanical axis over the music box. The tune of ‘Bink’s Sake’ tinkled from it. Even Zoro, who knew nothing about building shit, could tell that it was an amazing feat of engineering. It was unlike Franky to build something so dainty, but he must have noticed that Ace wasn’t too fond of things that were too loud.

Ace stared at the music box in fascination. She tried to wind it up again after the music died down, but couldn’t really get it because her fine motor skills weren’t that developed yet. She handed it back to Franky, “Uh’gain? P’ease?” Her eyes were wide.

Franky, usually so exuberant, smiled softly. Zoro hadn’t met anyone yet who was immune to that look of Ace’s. “Whatever you want, Ace!” Franky said.

Zoro snorted, and went back to hammering.

 

_Three years old_

So, a seaking tried to eat them today.

It had been a nice afternoon, so Sanji had decided to turn lunch into a picnic on the lawn. They set out mats and the sandwiches were in baskets and everything. When Zoro pointed out snidely how unnecessary that was, Sanji snarled something about environment and ambience and how a meathead like him couldn’t possibly appreciate the finer points involved in a picnic.

Whatever. It was just food. Zoro sulkily munched on his fifth cucumber sandwich and ignored him for the rest of the meal.

Beside him, Luffy was teaching Ace to use a fork to pick up pieces of fruits. She held Ace’s tiny hand in hers, and slowly guided the food into Ace’s mouth. She was mirroring Ace’s expression unconsciously, her own mouth opened and closed in the most comical way.

…Luffy was teaching table manners. It was a wonder the universe hadn’t imploded. Zoro couldn’t help but grin.

Suddenly, _Sunny_ started lurching violently, interrupting their tranquil afternoon. The waves around them crested to enormous sizes. The crew was on immediate alert.

Usopp put on his goggles. “Seaking!” he yelled, pointing.

Sure enough, a monstrous seaking was circling them. Its red spikes rose and fell like bony waves in the water. It hadn’t completely surfaced yet.

“Stations!” Luffy called. ‘Aye’s answered her, and the crew jumped into action. The seaking, impatient now, was trying to knock them over _Sunny_ by slamming itself on the underside. Brook yelped as he dropped his violin.

But this wasn’t anything they hadn’t seen before. Nami and Robin immediately went to the helm, to maneuverer _Sunny_ away from the seaking’s onslaught. Chopper had pulled up their anchor. Franky rushed to the cola room to prepare for a Coup de Burst, just in case, while Brook and Sanji raised their sails. From all the way up there, Brook gave Luffy the thumbs-up.

The seaking was getting more and more aggressive in its attack. Sprays of seawater were launched onto the deck. Its roar was positively deafening.

Luffy wound her arm, eager. Zoro stopped her.

“I got this,” he said. He jerked his chin at Ace, who was clutching at Luffy’s leg, eyes wide with quiet alarm.

Luffy looked down to her and nodded. Her rubber arms snapped back to her side and she crouched down to pick her up. “It’s gon’ be alright, Ace,” she soothed. “Watch Papa beat up that stupid fish.” Zoro smiled at Ace in reassurance when she turned those frightened eyes at him.

“We’re having seaking steaks tonight,” he said, raising his eyebrows in mock excitement.

Ace stared at him for a while. Her arms were tight around Luffy’s neck. “You can d’ it, Papa,” she finally cheered.

Zoro ruffled her hair affectionately, “Thanks, Baby.”

Soon enough, the Seaking surfaced. It loomed over _Sunny_ threateningly, all sharp teeth and foul breath.

Zoro raised Shuusui in a slow arc, so Ace could see what he was doing. He jumped.

A mere two slashes later, the unlucky seaking was dead, and the Strawhats’ dinner was settled.

Zoro rolled to a landing on the lawn, back to where Luffy was. When he walked to Ace, there were stars in her eyes. “Papa’s so cool,” she said in awe, utterly adoring and worshipful in the way only a child could be.

Zoro would deny until the day he died that he was preening.

 

Zoro was…twenty-five this year, yet here he sat, at a table in the library where Robin was giving Ace reading lessons.

Once Ace had gotten old enough to understand adults don’t read picture books, she had flat out refused to touch them, and had demanded to be taught to read full-size ‘real books’, as she called them, instead. Robin was a patient teacher, but even she would take a while to get a three and a half-year-old through ‘Collected Folklores of the Blues for the Advanced Learner’ and after much trial and tears, they were still on the first chapter.

Ace was persistent, though, and she would not go back on something once she’d decided on it. The last time she got stubborn, they had to refurnish the kitchen so she wouldn’t keep climbing the cabinets. She wasn’t even trying to get to the food. She just wanted to climb, and by the gods, nobody could stop her once she set her mind to it.

…Zoro wondered where she got it from.

It was Luffy. He’d blame it on Luffy. He obstinately ignored the part of his brain that was saying _who was the one who set sail when he didn’t even know where the Grand Line was again?_

So, Ace wouldn’t give up on finishing the book, but she still got disheartened when she discovered it was beyond her. To cheer herself up, her solution had been to drag Zoro down to the library for moral support, and here he had been sitting for most of the afternoon.

She was such a weird child. Zoro hoped math lessons with Nami wouldn’t be next.

Ace sat in his lap, a finger to the open page in front of her. Her nose was scrunched in a look of intense focus. They were reading about some guy with a magic harp or something. Zoro didn’t know, he had kinda zoned out for the past hour. “His…mu-music…tuh…took?” Ace was saying.

“Touched,” Robin corrected gently.

“Tuh’d,” Ace nodded, and continued. “Tuh’d the…rocks…so that…they..?”

“Split.”

“Spit?”

“Split,” Robin said, stressing the ‘L’.

“Split,” Ace repeated slowly. She frowned at the next word for a while, before looking at Robin for help.

“Split apart.”

…They were going to be here for some time. Zoro entertained himself by playing with Ace’s hair. It had gotten pretty long now, since she wouldn’t let anyone cut it. Sometimes, when the sun hit it just right, Zoro would swear that he could see hints of a greenish sheen in it. He took strands of it in his hands now and squinted, turning them this way and that by the light of the fireplace.

He passed a good ten minutes this way. At some point, Robin had taken over the book and was reading ahead to show Ace.

“…played so beautifully on his harp that Death was moved –“ Zoro’s head snapped up.

“Death?” he asked.

Robin and Ace looked up from the book. “Yes,” Robin answered. “In this tale, the great musician Orpheus embarked on a quest to save his wife from the underworld.”

Zoro frowned. He knew it was just a story but…

“Did he succeed?”

Robin smiled in that creepy way of hers. “No, sadly.”

Well…that sounded about right.

Zoro sat up now, interested. “Are there any stories in there that shows Death being defeated?”

Robin gave him a strange look. “No,” she said. “These are just tales, Zoro. But even the ancient story-tellers knew Death to be unbeatable.”

Ace looked annoyed. “Papa!” she complained. “I’was readin’!”

Zoro felt stupid for even asking. What was he thinking? That he could find a way to keep Death away from his family in a book about fairy tales?

He rubbed Ace’s back apologetically. “Sorry,” he said. “Carry on.”

 

_Four years old_

Ace ran up to him when he was on the deck one day and presented him with something sparkly.

Zoro grinned down at her. He took the…thing and inspected it, to find that it was some sort of jewellery. “What’s this?”

Ace looked down shyly and scuffed her shoes on the floor. “A friendship necklace,” she mumbled.

A necklace. That was what it was. It had green beads and shiny metal parts and everything. “Did you make it yourself?” Zoro asked. He was trying to figure out what that clay lump in the middle was supposed to be. Do you usually give your father friendship necklaces?

“Usopp helped. And Franky made the – the metal things.” She mimed using a blowtorch and made sparks with her hands, accompanied by ‘ _pzzt pzzt’_ sound effects.

“He welded it,” Zoro supplied.

“Uh-huh.”

Zoro was impressed. How long had they been working on this? “Is it for me?”

Ace nodded. “Made one for Mama, too.” Here, she suddenly got hesitant. “Do you – do you like it?”

Zoro still had no idea what half of it was, but he did like it. He picked Ace up to kiss her, making her squeal with laughter. “Thanks, Baby. I love it.” When Ace looked at him expectantly through her lashes, he reached for something else to say. “It’s real – It’s real pretty.” There went his street cred. Goddammit.

To the side, Zoro heard a snicker. He looked up to see Sanji’s mocking face. _It’s real pretty_ , he was mouthing.

Zoro showed him the necklace and raised his eyebrows. _Where’s yours?_ Sanji turned away, scowling jealously.

He let a now-beaming Ace down and she immediately ran off, to give Luffy hers, Zoro presumed. Zoro knew it would make him look so, so very silly, but he still put the necklace on anyway. Anything to make his little girl happy.

 

When he mentioned off-handedly about getting some supplies for his swords one day, Ace had insisted on coming with, and Luffy had looked crest-fallen at losing her usual companion.

“But Ace~ Mama’s gonna get lots of yummy food! Won’t you rather come with me?” she whined.

Ace shook her head, resolute. “I wanna see swords,” she answered evenly. “Swords are so cool, like Papa.”

“Mama’s cool too, though, right?”

“…”

“Right??”

Ace pretended not to hear. Zoro tried not to laugh.

So after that bit of drama, the two of them were walking along the street hand in hand. It was drizzling slightly, so Ace had decided to wear the ratty red coat to keep warm even though it was still way too big for her. The ends off the coat tails dragged through mud and various forms of wet stuff as they made their way through the town. Zoro cringed but said nothing otherwise; it wasn’t like it was something water and a bit of detergent wouldn’t fix. They found a shop with what Zoro needed soon enough, and as Zoro bartered with the shopkeeper, Ace walked around staring at the swords on display. The shopkeeper, keen-eyed businessman that he was, noticed.

“Is your daughter interested in swordplay as well?” he asked. Zoro looked at Ace, who was touching the tassel hanging off a sword in careful awe.

“Maybe,” he said gruffly. He placed himself in front of the shopkeeper’s eyes, blocking Ace from his view and when he’d finished with his purchase, he tugged Ace out of the store and into the streets under the grey, overcast sky above.

They still had time on their hands, so Zoro let her roam the streets as she pleased. He followed sedately behind her, thoughts of their previous encounter still occupying him. He thought about how as soon as Ace was able to talk, the names of his swords were one of the first things she learned, how attentive she was whenever he was maintaining his swords, or practising his kata. A part of him was secretly pleased that she wanted to be like him, but another part; a bigger, feral part, was reluctant to let her into the life they led. He would much rather she never needed to fight at all.

Whatever Ace chose to do, in the end, Zoro would support her. He knew, _knew,_ that there would come a time when he had to let her go, though he rebelled against the thought with his very being; that she was born of the wind, and she would never be happy in a gilded cage.

Zoro’s mind snapped back to the present, and he was jolted with the sudden realisation that he couldn’t see Ace.

He whirled around. “Ace?”

No reply.

“Ace!”

 _Calm down_. Zoro told himself, fear nauseating in his throat. _She couldn’t have gone far._

He debated getting the others to help her look, but, no. That would waste more time. Zoro took deep breaths, trying to slow his heart down. He spread his awareness, his Haki, as far as they would go, through the bustling crowd, the twittering birds, the rustling trees, trying to pick out the voice of his daughter from amongst the distracting noise of the world.

 _There_. His knees almost weakened in relief when he found her. Zoro ran.

Ace was at the beach, under the shade of a tree. The drizzle had transformed into rain, and when he reached her, Zoro was already sopping wet.

“Ace,” he said hoarsely. “Why the _hell_ did you run off like that?”

Ace stayed silent. She was staring at the sea, as if entranced, how the waves churned and writhed under the pouring storm like a breathing, living being. Her eyes were cast as far as the sea stretched, as endless as the sky; her form unmoving and ancient as stone. The red coat, old and worn, fluttered about her shoulder regally like a legacy yet fulfilled. Zoro’s frantic words fell away and at that very moment, condensed and crystallized into a single point on a knife’s edge, Zoro thought he could see a young woman in her place through the curtain of the falling rain; hair long, eyes green, a single white sword by her side. Melancholic and alone.

 _Don’t cry,_ Zoro wanted to tell her; this mysterious, beloved being. His heart was rending in ways he wasn’t aware it could. _Please don’t cry. It’ll be alright._

Ace turned to him, and the moment was broken. “I followed a puppy, but then I got lost.” She looked like she was pondering something.

“Papa,” she continued, voice slow and fae-like. Her eyes, endless and eternal, were back on the sea, on what lied forever beyond. “How big is the world?”

( _How big do you think the world is, Zoro?_ )

Why…did it suddenly feel like she was so far away?

Zoro didn’t answer her. He didn’t think he could make a sound around the lump in his throat just then. He pulled her into his arms. Closed his eyes. Zoro prayed, with all his might, that she would never go where he couldn’t follow.

**End of Part II**


	12. Part III

 

**Part III**

_One year later/ One year ago_

Nami and Robin had called a rare crew meeting. One by one, the crew started filing into the kitchen while Sanji made everyone cocoa. Zoro’s request for sake had been denied out of pure spite, so he raised an eyebrow at Ace, jerking his chin at the alcohol cellar, and she gave him a secret smile in return, nodding in understanding.

Franky was the last one to enter. He wiped his oily hands on a towel before he came in. He had been working on a project for months now, though no one could figure out what he was up to. “Vegapunk had blueprints for those submarines, bro,” he’d once told Zoro when he asked about it. “What no one thought of, is what if ships could fly?? Just think of it!” This just left Zoro puzzled than anything, because couldn’t _Sunny_ already fly with Coup de Burst?

Whatever it was, the rest just decided to leave him to his rambling devices until he was ready.

So, now they were all there. It just seemed so weirdly formal to all sit at the kitchen table when it wasn’t time to eat. Sanji spotted the bottle of sake in front of Zoro and threw a fit.

“What did I tell you, damn marimo?” he hissed. “No alcohol outside of meals!”

Zoro looked down at the bottle in feigned surprise. “Eh? How did this get here?” He smirked at Ace, who giggled and tried valiantly not to look at Sanji.

Sanji bristled. Before he could say another word, Nami’s Fist of Doom landed on his head with a loud ‘bonk!’.

“Settle down, Sanji-kun!” she warned, fire in her eyes.

Sanji slinked to his seat at once. “Whatever you say, Nami-san!” he sang. Nami pinched the bridge of her nose in a way she often did when dealing with Sanji, or Zoro.

When everyone had sat down, she leaned forward and put hands on the table. Robin stood by her side with a notebook in hand. Nami paused for a while, as if contemplating her words, and her eyes landed on Luffy. Luffy, seeming to have picked up on the unusually serious atmosphere, met Nami’s gaze levelly. Her strawhat sat on its usual spot on her head.

Nami took a deep breath. “If we follow our current route,” she began. “We’ll reach Raftel in six months.”

Dead silence. The rest of the crew looked at each other, before erupting in cheers.

“We’re actually going to be there! I can’t believe –“

“Yohohoho! That means we shall meet Laboon soon!”

“I can’t fudging wait–“

Zoro met Luffy’s eyes over the surrounding din. She looked resolute, but there was some hesitance there, too, that wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for –

Zoro looked down at Ace, who was confused at the sudden commotion. She had climbed into Zoro’s lap to seek reassurance. Zoro, unthinkingly, as if it were a reflex, closed his arms around her to hold her close.

Luffy stood up, and the noise fell away at once. “We’re not ready,” she said.

The crew grew silent. Not a single soul interrupted her. Luffy looked at them all, eyes steady.

“We haven’t done a lot of fightin’ over the past few years because of Ace, and if we set on to Raftel, the Marines will come after us again,” she said.

Nami, surprisingly, nodded along, as if she had thought about this. “The Marines have left us mostly alone for a long time, for whatever reason –“ she glanced at Zoro, and he tried to keep his face neutral “– but we’ll be stupid to think they had forgotten about us.”

Murmurs of agreement and unease rose from the group.

Robin put her notebook onto the table, though Zoro wondered if anyone could understand what she was trying to show them. Her notes were so complicated. “The Marines have no way to decipher the Road Poneyglyphs,” she said quietly. “But the Dragons had been intent on keeping everyone from obtaining any information regarding One Piece for centuries. It should, therefore, be logical to assume that they know what it is, and where.” She looked up now. “And with the Marines under their control, I do not think it far-fetched that they would deploy them there, to stop us at any cost.”

Zoro’s hand clenched on the hilts of his swords, and he pressed Ace tighter around him. Ace, despite not understanding what was going on, curled under his chin.

…If they were going to fight all of the Marines, that would mean fighting admirals again, or even that bastard fleet-admiral of theirs. He flicked his eyes up, to Luffy’s frowning face.

…and Luffy’s grandpa too, who she had not talked to since her brother’s –

Well, whatever she chose to do next, he will be right behind her, as always. They’ll be alright this time. Together, he thought.

Luffy nodded to herself, and she pressed the strawhat to her head. Her face was hardened with purpose. She looked up at them.

“We’ll take it slow,” she said. “We’ve been staying quiet for a long time now, but I think- I think we have to start making ourselves known again. Draw them to us. Start fighting again.”

Her crew, loyal, nodded. It was Luffy-logic, but they had gotten used to deciphering it. If the Marines started sending their forces after them before they reached their destination, it’ll be possible they could have a more depleted army waiting for them in the end. Zoro understood. Thinning the enemy, he thought. And getting combat practice in the process.

Luffy smiled, as sharp as a blade. “Then, we’ll be ready when we’re there. Raftel.” Her eyes shone with the possibilities. Where her crew will be by her side as they sailed the seas, freer than anyone else.

Calls of ecstatic agreement rang from the rest of them. Luffy looked at Zoro, and he was suddenly confronted with a future where their dreams were so close, he could taste it.

Zoro grinned, feral. He couldn’t wait.

 

This last island they were going to felt like taking a deep lungful of air before plunging into the sea.

The crew had decided that they wanted one last day of ‘vacation’ before being embroiled in the battle of their lives, and they had landed in their disguises as usual, by the Mini Merry the way they had been for the past five years. When they started doing this, Zoro had felt the restrictions stifling, but he found eventually they had acquired another kind of freedom in the process – people were more willing to overlook them when they didn’t know they were pirates, and would leave them more or less alone. It made life restful.

He wondered what it was in the past that clued them in that he was a pirate, since it wasn’t like he went around announcing it anyway. Maybe it was the three swords, or the three earrings, in addition to the eye scar, or –

You know what, nevermind.

Ace was tugging on his right hand. She was playing with his fingers more than anything, and seemed engrossed in trying to tangle both of her hands with his as much as she could. She wasn’t even looking at where she was going. She had long outgrown that beanie Sabo gave her when she was born, but they had managed to find a tailor some time back who could sew extra yarn on it, despite not doing it very well. She was wearing the mismatched, two-toned beanie now. As usual when she wanted to bring it out, Zoro had ended up being the one to carry Shark, the banana-crocodile, around.

Luffy walked in front of them, humming loudly. Her arms were swinging everywhere. He could tell she was in a great mood; the news of Raftel being so near must have been caused it. He hadn’t seen her this animated in a long time.

It was a pretty mundane day, to be honest. It made everything feel…strangely domestic, if anything. The three of them were rarely out alone together. Zoro wanted to remember this for as long as he could.

Luffy had found a food stall that caught her eye. She looked at the candied fruits on display longingly, then at her own almost-depleted pocket-money in disappointment. She turned around to bat her eyes at Zoro.

Zoro reached in his pocket for some bills without even a token protest. Luffy’s eyebrows raised in surprise. Zoro didn’t pretend not to understand why – he was usually stricter with her than this, especially when Ace was with them.

But…well, he felt like spoiling her today. They might not get such a peaceful day as this again.

Ace was staring at the candies too. She wouldn’t ask for them, but Zoro had known her since she was born. He knew how to read the very light in her eyes.

Zoro gave in and got two – one for each of them. There went his plans to buy more booze, ah well. When the shopkeeper handed Luffy and Ace their wares, Luffy took hers and beamed. She held Zoro’s hand with her free one in thanks, twining their fingers together.

Ace took her skewered candied strawberries carefully, and because she was such a good daughter, she held it up and offered Zoro a bite.

Zoro smiled. He bent down to take a tiny nibble of it, just so her kind intentions wouldn’t go to waste. “Thanks, Baby,” he said. Ace, pleased now, let herself be guided along with her other hand so she could concentrate on the rest of her snack.

Luffy was watching them with a smile. Zoro suddenly felt the need to tease her. “See? That’s why I like Ace the most,” he said to no one in particular, rubbing it in.

Luffy took the bait as predicted. She looked almost devastated. “But you like me too, right? As much as Ace?” she pressed imploringly. She sounded so much like a child. It really shouldn’t be as endearing as it was.

“But you didn’t offer me yours.”

Luffy looked pained. She stared at the snack in her hands and back at Zoro. Zoro pretended not to notice her dilemma.

They spent the next few moments in silence. Luffy was still torn. “I’ll – I’ll let you have…one bite,” she finally said reluctantly.

It felt like such a small, silly thing, but Zoro softened all the same. He pulled her in closer to kiss her, and Luffy’s eyes widened in surprise. Zoro smirked at the blush rising on her cheeks.

“Thanks,” he said, trying not to laugh. “But I suddenly don’t feel like it anymore.” Luffy narrowed her eyes at him, as if suspecting she had been duped, but when she turned away, Zoro could still see the corner of her smile.

Zoro was…struck suddenly by how much he wanted this moment to last; this perfect day.

They barely made it a few paces before an old guy in shabby clothing jumped into their path. Zoro immediately pulled Ace behind him while Luffy just stared steadily at the man. He had a camera den-den mushi in one hand.

“Tourists, are you?” he asked, sounding desperate. “What say you to a picture, huh? One of the lovely family. Just 50 Beri!”

Zoro was about to ignore him and go their way when the guy stepped in front of him again. Zoro glared.

“C’mon, fella,” he was saying, pleading. “Do an old man a favour, huh?”

Without preamble, he had pushed Luffy and Ace closer to Zoro, then he looked at them through the lenses of his den-den mushi and frowned. “Hey, papa, can you pick up your little girl? She’s too short to make it into the picture,” he called.

Ah, what the hell. Zoro picked up Ace in one arm and she curled into his side. She was quiet, stealing cautious glances of the guy. Luffy, on the other hand, seemed untroubled. She beamed up at Zoro as she leaned in, all sunshine and good humour. Zoro had no chance at all. He pulled her closer.

They looked ahead. The camera flashed.

_Click!_

Nami was with Ace in front of the safe-room, prepping her about scenarios they were likely to encounter from now on. Zoro stood by the side, arms crossed. He was just observing. Nami was strict, but Ace had always been a wiling student. She looked absolutely adorable with that serious frown on her face as she answered Nami’s thousand questions.

“What do you do when you hear fighting on deck?” Nami asked briskly.

Ace stood to attention. “Go straight into my room,” she mumbled. They had always put her in there themselves, but she was older now, and with the scale of the fighting they may be involved in later on, well…Ace might have to learn how to take care of herself.

“And what do you do when you’re in there?”

“Lock the door.”

Nami stepped aside and gestured to the door with its complicated locks and switches. “Show me.”

Ace got up and did the necessary combinations. Zoro had never actually realised it, but Ace was pretty darn smart. They had never properly shown her that before. Usually, they just throw her in there during emergencies and hastily do the combination. Nami had only shown it to her once, just before this.

The vault door spun once, counter-clockwise. Ace pulled the lever next to the door and keyed in the 12-digit password that even Luffy had trouble memorising sometimes. The door beeped in affirmative and when she was done, Ace turned back to Nami.

Even Nami looked impressed. Zoro guess he really shouldn’t be surprised. Ace had been reading books as thick as their sailing log on her own for a while now courtesy of Robin’s patient lessons, and Nami, who was as demanding a master if there ever was one, had been cramming mathematics, navigating, meteorology and whatever she saw fit to teach Ace into her brain since she could talk.

…Zoro could get lost walking in a straight line sometimes, and Luffy had her moments, but she wasn’t what people would call ‘bright’. Zoro should probably be thankful for the miracle that their kid didn’t turn out to be a dumbass as well.

Nami was still quizzing her, “What do you do after you lock the door?”

“Wait,” Ace replied dutifully.

“Until?”

“Until – until, someone comes and get me.”

“And if someone asks you to open the door?”

“I won’t do it?” Ace said.

“Yes. Do _not_ open this door from the inside under any circumstances, understand?” This was because they had encountered a lot of weirdos sailing the Grand Line, including people who could mimic others to perfection, like that – that guy from Alabasta, what’s-his-name. They always had stockpiles of food and water in there anyway, and Ace knew where it was. She should be alright waiting in there if anything delayed them, for a few weeks even.

Ace nodded. Her head was tilted to a side, as if contemplating something. “What if no one comes?” she asked quietly.

Zoro…wondered whatever gave her that idea. He hoped she knew that they would never let anything happen to her, as long as he was still alive. He went over to ruffle her hair. “We’ll always come for you,” he reassured.

Ace looked up at him, considering. Zoro wanted her to believe that, with the entirety of her tiny being, that Papa would always come back for her. He never wanted her to doubt it for even a second. He picked her up. “I promise you, Ace,” he said solemnly, looking into her eyes, mirrors of his own.

Ace slowly began to nod. “Pinky promise?” she asked, holding up her little finger and Zoro hooked it with his own, serious.

He didn’t realise how ridiculous he looked until he heard Nami trying to suppress her laughter. “Oh, this is precious,” she was saying breathlessly. She mimed wiping away her tears, even though Zoro could see that her eyes were completely dry. He flushed.

“Shut up!”

 

The next day, the ship of the Strawhat Pirates, _Thousand Sunny_ , which hadn’t been seen in a port anywhere for the past five years, stopped at Gora Island in the New World.

A crowd had gathered before they even put the ladder down, and the Strawhats stood together in a line at the rails, staring down at the masses, the way they did in Enies Lobby years ago. In some ways, nothing had changed at all. This was a challenge too, to anyone who could see them, rival crews, the Marines; the world and its seas.

 _Come_ _then_ , they were saying, teeth bared and sharpened. _Come and try us._

The only difference was Ace in the belly of their ship, safe and hidden.

The throng of townsfolk parted before them as they walked past, intimidated. It seemed Luffy’s reputation was still intact, despite their inactivity. Zoro’s hand was already at Wado Ichimonji’s hilt. The countless eyes on them was making him hypervigilant. A fight would break out soon. He could smell the intent in the air.

Luffy’s strawhat bobbed on uncaringly in front of him through the crowd. He followed.

It didn’t take long before another pirate crew was stupid enough to try something.

A grunt tried to go for their captain. Luffy didn’t even bother turning around. Zoro, who was right behind her, blocked the knife and broke her assailant’s wrist in one move.

As the guy was thrown to the floor, Sandai Kitetsu’s crimson blade gleamed in warning at his throat before withdrawing. Zoro turned back to trail after Luffy. Throughout this, not a single word had been exchanged.

Their footsteps seemed to echo in the dusty streets. Whispers followed them. Zoro could feel it, the restless, disbelieving energy thrumming beneath the surface of the island. People gaped as they walked past.

Someone finally said it. A trembling finger pointed at them, “It’s – it’s the Strawhats!”

The bubble popped, and what was released was a tidal wave of malicious aggressiveness. Gleeful, eager violence.

It was a good thing pirates of the New World had gained a false sense of power for conquering half of the Grand Line. Enemies charged at them from all sides, at their crew strong and ready, flanking their captain. Zoro couldn’t imagine this happening in Paradise. They wouldn’t have gotten the fight they wanted there to grab the attention of the Marines.

The blink of an eye, the span of a breath, and their enemies lied groaning on the ground beneath their feet. Whomever was left stood gaping at the side-lines, hesitant now to engage. Zoro sheathed his sword.

“That man…Didn’t he kill an admiral a few years back?” someone terrified said.

Luffy didn’t even have to lift a finger. She looked up from under the brim of her strawhat, eyes glinting. Her crew prowled beside her like a pride of lions. On their faces were identical sharp grins.

_Come and try us._


	13. steady your hands, now

 

Their plan seemed to be working. They were in Gora only long enough to cause a ruckus, not enough time for the Marines to respond on the island, but a mere two days since they departed, enemy ships appeared on their tail.

Zoro was lying on the deck, and Ace was playing with Shark by his side. He jumped when he saw them.

“Get to your room,” he said. Ace nodded and ran off.

His crew seemed to have sensed the Marines as well, and one by one they appeared on deck. Luffy jumped onto the rails, cracking her knuckles and grinning as she kept her eyes on the three – no, four – ships dogging them. They were still too far from their range for canons, but they were closing in fast. Their sails bearing the seagull emblems fluttered in the wind.

Zoro felt the anticipation stir within him. This was it. The beginning.

Luffy looked down at all of them. “Let’s kick some butt!” she called, all pumped up. Her crew cheered in response.

It wasn’t long before the air was filled with smoke and the sounds of canon fire.

 

Zoro ran along the entirety of _Sunny’s_ main rigging for momentum and _jumped_. He flipped in the air – once, twice – to control the trajectory of his fall, and just before he landed, he rolled to bleed off the impact. Right on an enemy ship.

The Marines gaped. They never expect one of them to just jump onto their vessel. It was hilarious, hadn’t gotten old yet.

Zoro allowed himself a grin before looking up to face his opponents, who seemed to have finally gathered their wits now. They rushed him with rapiers, yelling at the top of their lungs the whole time, for courage (?) He had been fighting the Marines for years now, but he still hadn’t figured out why they did that.

Zoro focused, and sliced through them. His moves were measured, controlled. He remembered how he fought long ago, before Ace, before Mihawk, how wasteful his movements. He had come to deny himself that luxury, not out of any conscious decision, or whatever. But he had found that he had become a lot more careful lately. He had a promise to keep, after all.

Some of the goons had decided, quiet correctly, that rapiers and numbers were ineffective against him, and had switched to shooting. Zoro closed his eye, centred himself, and felt the currents of the world around him. He dodged just as a bullet whizzed past, then again and again until he got close to the gunman, enough to see the white of his eyes widen in startlement. Zoro crouched, and flicked his wrist from below, and the gun was in pieces.

The captain of this vessel had finally showed himself. Zoro didn’t recognise him, but it wasn’t like a Marine captain would fail to introduce himself before –

“Roronoa Zoro! I’m Captain Dorley of section –“ There we go. Zoro rushed in, not giving the man a moment of respite and before he could even finish his speech, Zoro cut him down. It seemed rude or something, but Zoro would just rather end it before he could deal any real damage. He didn’t dare to underestimate his enemy anymore, not after what they had been through.

He turned around to see the crew whose captain was now groaning in a puddle of his own blood. They backed off in fear. The tips of Shusui and Sandai Kitetsus pointed down in threatening, gleaming arcs.

Before he left, Zoro destroyed their ship too. He stood on the floating rubble of the destruction he’d caused, his unfortunate victims swimming frantically in circles, but they were no threat now. He looked over to the other three ships, just in time to see Luffy completely annihilate the rest of them in a single, massive punch.

 _That’s my captain_. Zoro thought, grinning wildly in pride. Devotion surges within him anew.

Luffy clung to the main mast after she’d finished, inspecting her work from above. Zoro waved at her when she looked over at him. She smiled.

 

Zoro went straight to Ace’s room after. He turned the vault lock, pulled the necessary levers, punched in the passcode, and the door yawned open. Ace looked up from Shark.

“Papa,” she cried and ran into his arms. Zoro could feel the slight tremors shaking her still, and his chest clenched a little bit. It seemed that no matter how many times they got through this, Ace was always still afraid. He combed his fingers through her tangled mane of hair soothingly, and breathed her in.

Ace drew back suddenly, nose wrinkled. “Papa, you’re smoking,” she complained. Under the reproach, Zoro detected her worry.

Zoro looked down at himself. The shirt he was wearing had holes in them, some of which were, indeed, smoking from canon fire.

“It’s nuthin’,” he reassured her. When Ace seemed unconvinced, he bounced her once, the way he always did when she was a baby and Luffy couldn’t stop her bawling.

Ace squeaked, then giggled. “Stop it,” she commanded. She was trying to be stern, even though her face was mirthful. She had narrowed her eyes, and when she meant it, Ace could muster up a hell of a scowl. She’d inherited the sharp angularness of his eyes, too, and it made her quiet glares incredibly potent for a five-year-old.

Zoro smiled at her. “Let’s go find Mama,” he said. “She could tell ya about how she destroyed three ships in one punch.”

Ace nodded ardently, “Uhn!”

 

This continued for several weeks. Zoro had almost forgotten how exhausting the New World could be when they were actively fighting. Now, in addition to the weather, the sea monsters and the sea itself, they had to stay vigilant for attacks that may come out of nowhere. None of them slept through the entire night anymore, even Ace, because who could blame a child for being too scared to go to bed when there were explosions outside.

So, on one of the rarer days when the skies were clear and the sea was calm and there were no enemy ships in sight (yet), Chopper managed to coax Ace to nap with him in a sunny spot on the lawn. Chopper was in his fluffiest form, and Zoro knew from experience that he made for a really nice pillow. Ace, already sleep-deprived, was snoring lightly within minutes.

Zoro trained nearby and glowered at anyone who made a sound louder than a peep.

A News Coo came when he was in the middle of his third set and dropped off a thicker stack of paper than usual. It must be the newly issued wanted posters. Brook went to pick them up.

He rifled through them for a while before he stilled, looking at a particular one. “Zoro-san! Luffy-san!” he called, waving them over.

Zoro shushed him with a glare, and Brook immediately lowered his volume. Luffy jumped down from who-knows-where.

“Whatsup?” she asked.

Brook handed them a wanted poster. Zoro took it and Luffy leaned in closer to take a look. The both of them froze.

It was Ace’s. But instead of the horrid drawing of a baby it had boasted for the past five years, this one had an actual picture of her. More specifically, it was the picture they took together, cropped to show only Ace. Zoro knew because the actual picture was pasted on the wall above their bed. In it, Ace was staring quietly at the camera, face turned and half buried in his neck. Her skewered candied strawberries were half eaten and she was holding it halfway to her frowning mouth. She was wearing one of their oversized shirts, so long it was almost a dress on her. It made her look smaller than she was.

Zoro and Luffy looked at each other, and at that moment, Zoro could tell they were thinking the same thing: _We done fucked up._

Zoro studied the poster more. At least they still didn’t know her name. They were still labelling her as ‘the child of Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro’. Her epithet and bounty were unchanged.

“Well,” Brook began. “This is unfortunate.”

Luffy exhaled through her nose. “Can’t do anything about it now,” she said, shrugging.

Zoro rubbed his face tiredly. They had been stupid, but Luffy was right. What was done was done. They would just have to make the most of it. It wasn’t like they usually let Ace out of their sight anyway.

Luffy walked over to Ace, sprawled in a heap with Chopper. She softly brushed the hair out of her eyes.

Zoro’s resolve hardened. They wouldn’t let anything happen to her. They _won’t._

 

They were in another fight.

They were Marines again. There were five vessels this time, firing canons as if it didn’t cost them anything to make. The shit-cook had flown off and taken down one of their ships while Zoro and the others busied themselves parrying away cannonballs.

Then, from his right side, came a blast of heat so great he almost staggered from the wave of it. Fire engulfed the rest of the ships in an instant. A few moments later, Sabo jumped onto the deck. His bo staff, which he twirled lazily behind him, was smoking still.

“Hey, Luffy,” he said, smile gentle. “Good to see you again.”

 

Luffy was ecstatic to see her brother, of course. Sabo was a spy, after all, and being out in the open wasn’t exactly compatible with his career. The last time he could visit was just after Ace was born, and even then he had to call off a mission for it and he stayed no more than five minutes. Zoro had gathered that his partner had not been pleased, at all, but Sabo had been too adamant to see his new niece to care.

Ace sat in Luffy’s lap now, considering the strange, friendly man next to Mama. “Say ‘hello’ to Uncle Sabo, Ace,” Luffy said.

Ace peeked at Sabo from beneath her lashes. “’lo,” she mumbled. Sabo looked like he would burst.

“OHmigoshh, she’s so cute, Luffy!!” Sabo gushed. He feigned dying with a hand to his heart.

Luffy’s family…they were all pretty dramatic, huh? Zoro tried not to snort into his sake.

Luffy was beaming. “He gave you that beanie, and all those presents, remember?” she told Ace. Ace tilted her head, her nose wrinkling as she tried to recall.

“Oh,” she said. “Thanks.”

Sabo’s eyes filled with tears. He spread out his arms. “C’mere, Ace,” he said.

Ace looked startled at the sudden invitation. She shook her head and struggled out of Luffy’s arms, crawling to Zoro who was a seat away to hide. He let Ace use his arm as a shield, from behind which she kept glancing at Sabo shyly.

Sabo looked crestfallen. Luffy could do nothing but laugh. “You’re too pushy,” she snickered.

Sabo pouted. “I’m not!”

So, Sabo apparently had the time to spare for dinner at least, and as all of the crew gathered with him around the dining table, Zoro was hit with the sense of déjà vu. He remembered that visit years ago, when Ace wasn’t born yet. Sabo had brought some unwelcome news then.

Zoro hoped that wasn’t the case this time, but of course it was.

“I saw Ace’s new wanted poster,” Sabo was saying to Luffy over a mouthful of pot-roast. Sanji had gone back to the stove to prepare a new batch, since they had two black holes to feed instead of one today.

Luffy tried to steal some potatoes off Sabo’s plate but her hand was promptly smacked away. She yelped. “Yea, that was stupid,” she confessed, laughing a little in embarrassment. She scratched her nose.

Sabo rolled his eyes. “No shit it was,” he said. “And you’ve been doing so well hiding her for the past five years too.” His eyes snapped to Zoro accusingly. “You should’ve known better.”

Zoro scowled at him and took a swing of his sake. He was right, but it didn’t mean Zoro liked it when he was admonished, especially by Sabo. Ace, seeming to have noticed, looked up from her drumstick.

“Don’t talk to Papa like that,” she said sharply. Her eyes narrowed.

Sabo started, and he backed down immediately. “’Kay ‘kay, sorry,” he apologized, holding up his hands in surrender. “Damn. She’s scary when she glares, Lu.”

Luffy swallowed, and only then did Sabo realise half his plate was empty. He whopped the back of Luffy’s head, causing her to choke. “Zoro’s – Zoro’s like that too,” she said in between coughs. “It’s just their faces.”

Zoro frowned. He felt insulted for some reason. “Oi.”

Sabo was staring at him, as if contemplating something. His whole posture had shifted – a predator stalking. “And I’m sure there are others who think you’re scary too, eh?” he said quietly. “After you killed Kizaru.”

Zoro tensed. And so did the rest of the table. Ace was glaring again, even though Zoro knew she couldn’t completely grasp what was going on.

Zoro set down his fork slowly. “And?”

Sabo’s eyes were blazing. “I just wanted to thank you, I guess,” he said after a while. “I know you’d done it for Luffy.” He inclined his head at him, tipping his hat in respect.

Zoro grunted. As he relaxed, so did the crew. Even Robin had looked ready to throw hands for a second there, despite her personal friendship with Sabo.

“I know it was necessary,” Sabo continued. “But you should know, the Marines aren’t just interested in Luffy anymore, they want you too now.”

It wasn’t something he wasn’t expecting. “Raleigh said the same thing,” Zoro said. He’d known this for years.

Sabo shook his head. “It’s more than that,” he said. “The lengths they’ve gone, it’s beyond what they would normally do for – for anyone.”

Zoro leaned back, digesting this. “They haven’t done anything though.”

“They’d been planning, but now that the Strawhats are starting to make their move again. Well…you may be forcing their hand,” Sabo looked regretful as he said it. The crew fell silent. For a while, all you could hear was Ace clinking her utensils against her plate.

Nami suddenly straightened. “Wait, I thought they left us alone because Zoro – because they didn’t think we were worth the trouble now, after they knew what just one of us could do.”

Sabo tilted his hat down, so that his eyes were hidden. “No,” he finally said. “They’ve definitely just been scheming.” Ace was occupied with her meal, disinterested with the conversation now that nobody was being mean to Papa. Sabo glanced at her. “And they want Ace now too, by extension, because of who both her parents are.”

Zoro’s fist clenched. He put his arm around Ace, and she didn’t respond except to lean closer by his side. Her mouth was smeared with gravy. To calm himself, Zoro took a napkin to wipe it off.

Luffy had finished her dinner. She sat back and watched them, almost possessive. “They can try,” she said, her tone was parts imperious and wrathful.

Sabo gave her a fond smile. “And I’ll help too, anyway I can.” He puffed out his chest. “You’ll see, Ace –“ she looked up when she was addressed, traces of gravy still on her chin “ –I’m the best uncle in the world.”

Ace just gave an uncertain nod. “Sure,” she said, polite, though it was painfully obvious she didn’t believe a word of it. Zoro almost laughed at Sabo’s fallen face.

Luffy had no such restraint. Her peels of laughter caused the crew to fall into uncontrollable cackles too.

 

Night had fallen when Sabo had to leave. Luffy went to the deck with him to say good-bye. “Actually Luffy, can I talk to Zoro in private for a second?” Sabo asked.

Luffy looked at him suspiciously. “You’ll be nice, right?”

Sabo sighed. “Yes, Lu. I’ll be nice.”

After she’d extracted that promise from him, Luffy smiled and danced off, leaving Zoro in awkward silence with her brother. He had no idea what he wanted to talk about. Zoro crossed his arms uncomfortably.

Sabo looked at him for a while, before looking discreetly around to make sure that no one was listening in. Luffy had started a game of tag with Ace, Chopper and Usopp nearby, but otherwise, everyone else seemed to be minding their own business, for once.

Sabo’s eyes glinted, chewing on his words. “They know,” he said in an even voice.

Zoro raised his eyebrows. Who knows what now?

Sabo waited for him to get it, but when he realised that any form of subtlety would just fly over Zoro’s head, he gave up. “The Dragons, they’re suspecting something about what you are.”

Zoro…tried to keep his breathing even. “How much do they know?”

Sabo tipped his hat down. “They only have…theories, that you’re not – not entirely human.” He studied Zoro’s face carefully, and Zoro tried very, very hard not to give anything away.

“That’s stupid,” he retorted, trying to deflect. His heart was a drum in his chest.

Sabo gave him an almost pitying look, at his sorry attempt. “Whatever you are, they started suspecting it when they reviewed the footage from Kizaru’s den-den mushi. Why do you think your bounty jumped so much?”

Zoro didn’t have an answer to that. He stayed silent, because he thought if he opened his mouth, he’d scream, or something. Fucking shit.

“I didn’t want to say anything because I wasn’t sure how much the others knew,” Sabo added apologetically.

Zoro was surprised at his consideration, but it was eclipsed by the bombshell Sabo had dropped on him.  “…And Ace?” he asked. He was almost afraid of the answer. It was a conscious effort not to lick his lips.

“That’s part of the reason why they want her too.”

When Zoro didn’t say anything, Sabo clapped a hand on his shoulder. Zoro was so keyed up he almost flinched. “I’ll be right behind you, to protect Ace,” he said earnestly. “Luffy still has the number?”

Zoro nodded numbly. He had seen her take it out from her strawhat and stare at it sometimes, when she thought no one was looking.

Sabo’s face was set in grim determination. “Alright then,” he said, forcedly bright. He went over to Luffy and Ace to say goodbye, and a while later, he was gone with the wind, as if he wasn’t here in the first place.

 

Later that night, after Chopper had come to relieve him of his watch, Zoro was about to go back to bed when he hesitated in front of the captain’s quarters. He headed down to Ace’s room instead.

Zoro slid the door open as quietly as he could and peeked inside. Ace had kicked off her blankets, so Zoro went in, padding softly across the room, and adjusted it around her. He tucked Shark back into the crook of her arms.

Ace stirred. “Papa?” she said blearily, sitting up to rub her eyes.

Zoro sat down on the bed and shushed her. “Go back to sleep, Baby,” he said.

Ace stayed up stubbornly. “What’s wrong?” she asked when she saw his face.

“Nothin’- “ Zoro swallowed. “Nothing’s wrong.”

Ace looked at him, trying to unravel the secrets in his eyes, so precocious this child.

( _Such was his Gift._ )

Zoro almost jolted at the sudden memory, at the thought that fate would always be that which was inevitable, inescapable. Immortal.

“…Okay,” Ace finally said and lied back down, though Zoro suspected she did it for his benefit. He reached out to comb her unruly bedhead.

“Can you tell me a story?” she asked sleepily.

“What story do you wanna hear?” Zoro asked, voice soft as to not disturb her. Her hair was getting way too long. They’d have to trick her into getting it cut again. He brushed a strand of it behind her ear.

“The one in the sky? With the bell?”

Zoro smiled, and launched quietly into a tale for his daughter, about when her Mama fought a god and won.


	14. the dawn of a dream

 

They were nearing an island, and Ace – Ace! – was throwing a tantrum.

Her temper was unlike anything Zoro had ever observed in a child, not that he had a ton of experience with children. It was as imposing as molten lava, and the quiet way she glared made Zoro brace for the incoming explosion it forewarned. She also had the cutest pout on her face.

“I wanna go,” she was mumbling. She stared at the grainy wood beneath her feet as if trying to burn holes in them.

Zoro, for the thousandth time, tried reasoning with her, “You can’t, Ace. There’ll be fighting. You might get hurt.”

Ace looked up now, eyes blazing. “I’m going,” she scowled. The stubborn way she stood made it clear that she would not budge even if lightning struck her down.

Zoro narrowed his eyes. Normally, that was all it took for people to scurry on and did what he wanted. Not his daughter though, she matched his glare with her own. The way she drew back, nose wrinkled, brow terrifyingly smooth, it all looked like Luffy at her most wrathful.

The difference was, while Luffy usually got this way when her friends were in danger, Ace was a child who wanted to get off their ship.

Zoro…had no idea how to deal with this. It didn’t help that Ace didn’t usually throw tantrums; he didn’t get a lot of practice. He tried cajoling, “What if I got you something nice if you stay here?”

“No.”

Well, there went that plan.

Luffy’s face popped out from around the corner. “What’s the matter?” she asked when she read the tenseness in the air.

Zoro said tersely, “Ace wants to go.”

Ace crossed her arms, looking at Luffy as if challenging her to say she couldn’t, way more onerous that she usually was. To be honest, Zoro wouldn’t fault her for being so adamant. For the past few months, when they had been busy fighting, Ace had been stuck on the ship. She hadn’t seen land for a long time. Even Zoro would get sick of it if he were in her position.

But between her being angry or being unhurt, Zoro would choose the latter any day.

Luffy was quirking an eyebrow at him, “Sure.”

Ace’s face whipped up, cautious hope written all over her face. Zoro couldn’t believe his ears. “What?”

“Let her come. We’ll make sure nothing happens to her,” Luffy said nonchalantly.

Zoro stared at her. “You want to bring her. To the island,” he repeated, just in case he heard her wrong.

Luffy shrugged. “Why not?”

Zoro, very much, wanted to strangle her at that moment. “ _Why not_? She might get hurt, Luffy!”

Ace was looking at each of them in turn, careful not to say anything. She widened her eyes pleadingly at Luffy.

Luffy’s brow were scrunched now, as if she didn’t understand what Zoro was concerned about. “It’s not fair for her to be cooped up all these months,” she said matter-of-factly. She beamed down at Ace. “Stick close to Mama, Ace. I’ll take care of you.”

Ace gave a silent whoop in celebration. Before she left to follow Luffy, she looked back to Zoro, still waiting for his permission.

Zoro sighed, defeated and resigned. He should have expected Luffy to be lenient. She would be the last one to agree to locking someone up, despite the dangers awaiting them. Zoro understood, he really did, how freedom was the core of her very being, but her do-or-die attitude would get someone killed one day.

Not today, Zoro resolved. He looked at Ace sternly. “Stick close,” he warned. Ace nodded solemnly. She slipped her hand into his and Luffy’s and they went to the deck where their crew were already waiting.

 

To nobody’s surprise, someone picked a fight with them. Zoro could sense it from a mile away, and Ace had been hidden under the bar before their enemies even came in.

However, these weren’t some rival crew. They were the Marines. On an island. Which meant a Buster Call was on the way.

…How did they even know they were there? They had been so careful in selecting to disembark only when they were sure there would be no Marine presence on the island. Until now, they had only engaged the Marines when they were on the open seas.

Shit. They had to get away soon.

The Strawhats had managed to sweep most of the squadron out into the streets now, so there was more elbow room for them to fight. Zoro was still in the building dealing with the last of them when one made a move for the bar. Zoro didn’t even think before he reacted.

The unfortunate grunt’s hand was pinned to the wooden floor by Sandai Kitetsu. As he howled in pain, Zoro snarled at his squadmates, who were wavering now at Zoro’s sudden display of escalated violence. “If any one of you touches this bar,” he growled, bloodlust gathering and saturating the air. Several of his victims choked on it. “I won’t kill you. _I’ll cut off your hand and let you bleed out first.”_

The Marines surrounding him gulped. Zoro _moved._

 

Zoro breathed in deep as he took in the surrounding carnage. His opponents were whimpering on the floor, trying to crawl away. He kicked all of them out of the bar and away from Ace.

He was about to go get her when Sanji called from outside. “They have reinforcements!”

Zoro stilled. He bent down to look at Ace, who was hidden and curled into a ball behind the barstools. She was wide-eyed, but otherwise she seemed fine. “Stay put, okay?” Zoro told her, trying to keep his tone light. “We’ll be done soon.” Ace nodded, and Zoro ran outside to guard the entrance to the bar.

His crew was throwing down with a new squadron, led by two captains. Luffy was taking down one, so Zoro instinctively faced the other.

He was a stocky, older man, wielding a sword that looked different from the standard issue Marine ones. Its blade was as pure white. His eyes glinted in recognition when they were laid on Zoro.

“Roronoa Zoro,” he began, as most of them usually do. Zoro got close and struck before he could finish. The captain was skilled enough to block it. Huh.

As Zoro ducked to the side, the captain _tsk_ -ed in disappointment. “No courtesy, youngsters these days,” he spat. He considered Zoro, then continued, smiling dangerously. “But I would expect no less, from one as inhuman as you are.”

Zoro narrowed his eyes. He tried not to think about what that meant, and engaged him again.

The captain parried his blows. Zoro had a sense of his skills now, and although the captain wasn’t bad, he knew he could still beat him in a matter of seconds. When Zoro drew away from a slash, the tip of the captain’s blade grazed his upper arm.

It wasn’t even a deep cut. Zoro had survived much worse, but the sting – gods, the sting – it was more than Zoro could have ever expected. His knees felt weak, all of a sudden, and he almost let go of Shuusui, the sword in held in his injured side. When he looked down, Zoro could see that the tiny cut was already blistering. The site was a festering, angry red.

The captain was eying him closely. He seemed to have noted Zoro’s reaction. “It would seem the rumours are true,” he said with a smirk, and closed in again.

Zoro gritted his teeth. This was nothing, only pain. He had endured much worse. Before the captain could even raise his swords, Zoro saw an opening. With a measured move, he swung Sandai Kitetsu up, followed closely by Wado Ichimonji, and the captain fell before his strange blade could even touch Zoro again.

 

As soon as they had defeated all of the squadron, the Strawhats got the hell out of there before the Buster Call could be issued.

Ace was held tightly in his arms, and she was looking over his shoulder as they ran for _Sunny_. Just as they’d reached the deck and the anchor had been drawn, Ace swivelled around and pointed at something on the island.

“Papa,” she said. “Who is that?”

Zoro thought more Marines had arrived. He turned to see what she was pointing at, to see a hooded figure standing in the middle of the island they were scrambling to leave.

Zoro couldn’t answer her. His mouth had gone dry, and all he could hear was the sudden rush of blood in his ears.

As they sailed away, the silhouette of Death got smaller and smaller, until he was only a speck in the distance. Only when he was sure they couldn’t see him anymore did Zoro put Ace down.

 

It had been a few days since their unexpected run-in with the Marines. Zoro’s wound was finally starting to heal. It had confounded even Chopper’s expertise at first.

“It’s definitely not poison,” Chopper had said, frowning at the test results. “And the effect was too fast to have been caused by infection, so antibiotics are useless on this.” He fidgeted with the medicine cabinet for a while as Zoro sat patiently on the stool. Chopper came back with a vial of yellowish something, which he withdrew with a needle.

“We’ll try this for now,” he decided. He bandaged the site and gave Zoro the injection, and that was that.

It wasn’t even the pain that was the worst – Zoro didn’t care about pain, at all – but the uneasiness the incident had instilled in him.

And adding that to…to what Ace saw, Zoro had been sitting on pin and needles the whole week.

Luffy noticed, of course, although he tried to hide it.

“Whacha so antsy about?” she asked him one night when they were both in bed. Zoro had buried his face in her neck, where she smelled like her most Luffy-est, like the sea under the mid-noon sun. Her fingers were carding through his hair in the most relaxing way.

Zoro…didn’t really want to talk about it. He tried to distract her by nuzzling into her throat because he knew she was ticklish.

It worked for a while. Luffy giggled and tried to push him away, but he held her close, smiling in response to her laughter. When they’d settled down, Luffy asked again, persistent. “It’s not because Ace was near that fight, is it?”

It…wasn’t, surprisingly. Like Luffy said, they had kept Ace safe, and nothing had happened to her. She hadn’t even been scared. She had never seen any of them in action before because they had always been so careful to keep her in the saferoom whenever anything happened. And while she had always been shaken when all she could do was hear the fight going on outside, actually witnessing it seemed to have to the reverse effect. She was even more keen now to learn ‘how to fight like a badass’, like Papa.

Zoro could already see it, how her budding eagerness would one day bloom into the love for the thrill of battle, how she would live for it, like Luffy.

Zoro shook his head. “She’s too much like you,” he said.

Luffy laughed, as if he’d said something funny. She smiled down fondly at his confusion, and her hands reached to cup his face. Her fingers grazed his cheekbones, and Zoro was mesmerized for a moment by the tender look in her eyes.

“Zoro’s stupid,” Luffy declared, causing him to scowl.

“Your face is stupid,” he retorted churlishly. Luffy always had a way of pulling out the most childish side of him.

Luffy scrunched her nose. “Well yea? Your face is –“ Zoro rolled his eyes and silenced her with a kiss.

He swiped his tongue over her lower lips, over the ridges of her palate, how she always tasted a little like salt and the sea and a lot like freedom. When he withdrew, Luffy licked her lips, as if savouring the taste of him.

Zoro…loved her so very much. He pulled her in close and tucked himself under her chin. Luffy hummed as she continued combing his hair.

“We’re gonna reach Raftel soon,” he mumbled after a while, quiet. There was something about this moment that made him want to be careful, something precious and fleeting and fragile. Luffy’s hand stilled. Zoro could almost feel the excitement crackling beneath her skin.

“Yea,” she replied. That was all she said, but Zoro understood, as always, what she meant without her saying it.

Before Zoro fell asleep, Luffy whispered into his hair. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Her hand cradled his head ever so gently against her neck. Her tone was soothing.

Zoro hugged her, as tight as he could.

 

One island more.

The day was cloudy, and the wind that stirred was arid and sour. Nami had said it meant they were near a volcano island.

It would be their final stop before Raftel.

Everyone was nervous. Except Luffy, who was so excited she couldn’t sit still anymore.

Zoro was in the observation room with Ace. He had gotten her a practice sword, even though she didn’t ask for it. It was made of wood, and on the course they were right now, he couldn’t exactly get her an especially good one. This one was serviceable, but it wasn’t the one he would have picked out if he had a wider variety to choose from. Her eyes still sparkled when he presented it to her, and she had squealed – actually squealed – when she thanked him.

Zoro promised himself he’d get her a better one, after – after Raftel. He’d get her all the swords she wanted in the world.

Soot and ash were floating about _Sunny_ , blackened flurries thicker than the day before. Chopper had insisted everyone wore masks to protect their lungs whenever they went outside. Franky and Brook were the only ones who didn’t need to worry about that. Franky was on the deck, now, hammering his anxiety away. He was still working on his secret flying ship project. It had gotten so big that it didn’t fit in his workshop anymore and he had to move it outside where it filled most of their lawn.

Zoro corrected Ace’s stance for her. “You gotta stand straighter, Ace,” he mumbled, pushing her back in a little. “And remember what I said about the feet? They have to– there you go.”

They were starting with the very basics. He remembered being ten and being fidgety, bored out of his mind when his sensei drilled him on it. Ace, on the other hand, was paying close attention. She was frowning so very seriously. Zoro tried not to smile.

When she had gotten the hang of it, he decided they could move on to something a little less mundane today and began teaching her how to carry and draw a sword at least. Ace’s concentration never wavered. She made for a good student.

“Papa, can you fight anyone with swords?” she asked when they took a break. Zoro was wiping off the sweat from her brows. Her eyes, as she asked the question, were guileless, entirely confident and almost worshipful.   

Zoro considered. “Sure,” he said. “You gotta fight smart though. Everyone has a different weakness.”

Ace nodded slowly, contemplating this. She looked down on the floor, swinging her legs as she sat on the bench.

“How bout…how bout that guy?” she asked after a while. She seemed to have suddenly gone quiet.

“What guy?” Zoro asked absently. He reached over for their bottle of water.

Ace didn’t answer him. Her legs had stilled. Zoro raised an eyebrow at her.

“That guy with one eye, on the island. In the black hood,” she finally whispered.

Zoro tensed. He hugged her close to his side. “Why? Are you scared of him?” he asked softly.

Ace bit her lips, unwilling to admit it. Then, she looked away and nodded. “Mama – No one else can see him, can they?”

Zoro took a deep breath. “Yea.” He never thought she’d notice the fact.

“But me and Papa can.” Ace frowned, deep in thought. “So if he comes after Mama and the rest, only we can stop him,” she continued.

Zoro stared at her. He didn’t want to break it to her yet that there were enemies you just couldn’t beat. That there were beings out there that couldn’t be hurt by anything of this world, bargains that could not be made. “Why do you think we need to stop him?” he asked instead. “Maybe he’s friendly.”

The lines on Ace’s brow deepened. She was quietly pondering something. “No, he’s not,” she decided. “The way he looks at people, it’s like –it’s like a seaking. He wants to eat us, or something.”

Zoro sat back, leaning against the wall. “Do you…see him a lot?” he asked cautiously, trying to not give away how his heart was pounding.

Ace swung her legs a little bit. “Only these few weeks, when you guys are on islands, I see ‘im sometimes when I look out the window. He’d be there too.”

Zoro…hadn’t seen him himself, but he wasn’t that surprised, what with how occupied they had been with fights. He cupped the back of her head and pulled her in, kissing the top of it. He tried to think of what to say, what to tell her.

He sighed against her hair, “Ace, if he comes to you one day, I want you to run, okay? Just run. Come to Papa. I’ll beat him up.”

Ace nodded, but she still seemed troubled for some reason. “Can’t you – can’t you stay away from him, too? Please?” she pleaded earnestly. “I’m scared he’ll take you away.”

He…can’t promise her that. He would give Ace the world, but he refused to gift her empty promises. “But I have to protect you and Mama, don’t I?” he said instead, trying to convince her.

Ace turned away, clearly unsatisfied with his answer. When she looked up at him, her eyes were blazing. “Only until I get big. Then you don’t have to protect me anymore. I’ll beat him up and protect you and Mama and the crew.”

Touched, Zoro ruffled her hair affectionately. She was already growing up so fast. “I can’t wait, Baby.”

 

Their supposed next stop was too hot to get near. Nami’s cloud road had simply evaporated when she casted it over the island, and _Sunny_ was strong, but she wasn’t immune to lava damage, since it seemed like that was what the whole island was covered with.

They decided to press on.

To Raftel.

 

They’d make land the next day.

Zoro sharpened his swords the whole night. Nami and Usopp checked and re-checked their gear. Sanji cooked supper for everyone. Chopper kept counting his Rumble Balls. Robin went over her notes one last time. Franky recalibrated every piece of machinery on himself. Brook tuned his violin to perfection.

Luffy, unusually solemn, stood on the figurehead. She stared out at the horizon, trying to get a first peek at Raftel. The brim of her strawhat fluttered in the wind.

The world turned and the stars spun onto eternity.

Nobody slept.


	15. And fate is -

 

Imagine for a single moment. You were sailing the sea, your ship was covered with ash and dust. Your crew weary and anxious. Wide-eyed, clenched fist, clenched jaw anticipation. It was night, and the stars here were bright. The way they were arranged, it was as if they were celestial breadcrumbs showing the way.

The sea was still.

Then, in the far distance, you saw light. Rising from the horizon. You thought it was the sun at first, but no, its glow was less golden, less warm. As ethereal as a dream made true.

Raftel.

 

_Not long now, o child of mine._

_Just you wait._

_Not long now._

 

They would disembark as soon as dawn broke. For now, they were just sailing towards that light far away. It was as if they were chasing a fell star.

Ace was clutching Zoro’s hand as they stood at the bow of the ship with the others. Her face was pale.

“Papa,” she whispered. “Is that where we’re going to?”

Zoro looked down at her, surprised at her tone. “Yea,” he said. He put a reassuring hand on her head. “What’s wrong?”

When Ace looked up, Zoro saw real fear in her eyes. His brows furrowed. “Can we…not go there?” she implored. Her hands were white-knuckled tight around his.

Zoro crouched down to her eye level. He tried to look for words, to explain to his five-year-old what this island meant to them, that there they would find their very dreams. “That’s what we’ve been looking for for years, Ace,” he told her, tucking a strand of her too-long flyaway hair behind her ear.

Ace bit her lip. “But he’s there. I can feel it.”

Zoro…didn’t even have to ask who she was referring to. But he had expected this, somewhat. If the Marines really were waiting with all their forces on the island, Zoro doubt there wouldn’t be any lives lost today. He was determined to not let any one of their crew be one of them.

He was still surprised she could sense it from so far. He couldn’t feel anything.

He took her hand. “Papa will make sure everyone’s alright. I won’t let him hurt anyone, okay?” he said. He tried his best to sound as convincing as possible.

Ace still looked uncertain, although she didn’t ask any more questions. When it was time for her to go to the saferoom, she was astonishingly resistant. She was almost crying when Zoro ushered her in. Zoro was bewildered.

Zoro tried to speak to her, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Hey hey,” he said softly, picking her up. Ace immediately buried her face in his neck and clutched at the back of his shirt.

Zoro sighed. He kissed the side of her head. “I promised, didn’t I? I pinky-promised that we’ll come for you after.”

Ace shook her head. The collar of his shirt was starting to get wet. Zoro rocked her a little, the way he would when she was a baby, when he was trying to console her.

After a while, Ace finally peeled herself away enough to look at him. She didn’t say a word, but she held out her little finger again. Zoro took it, sealing the deal, another vow to never break, the taste of an oath between his teeth. Ace’s eyes were at once watery and filled with fire. “You have to come back safe now. You promised,” she said, demanding. An order, almost.

Zoro set her down on her bed. He picked up Shark from the floor and placed it in her arms. Instead of her blanket, he tucked her favourite coat around her; it always seemed to help her feel brave.

“I swear on my life,” he told her solemnly; an oath all over again, for all that there wasn’t a sword pointing to the sky.

 

Luffy looked concerned when he went back to the deck. She took his hand and twined their fingers together. Her calloused hand was so small compared to his. Zoro kissed the back of it.

“Ace?” she asked.

“She’s fine,” he answered. Luffy nodded, pressing her strawhat to her head.

Together, they turned to the horizon, to the fell star of their dreams, where dawn was breaking.

 

The first thing they saw by the first light of day was the barricade of warships surrounding Raftel. _Sunny_ sailed on, a cheerful mouse among giants, undaunted and indominable as her captain. Luffy stood on her figurehead. Her grin was a beckoning, heralding a new age. From where she stood, the rising sun facing her, it made her look more like a myth and their enemies before them, as inconsequential as foam on the waves.

The shadow she casted on the ground was all-encompassing. On its head rested a crown.

Her crew stood beside her and they knew they were following a legend.

 

They wouldn’t bring _Sunny_ straight to Raftel. Instead, she was anchored some ways away, out of the range of the enemy canons, so Ace would remain safe while they fought.

For the rest, as it often was with Luffy, there was no plan. They simply jumped off of _Sunny_ , straight into the midst of the Marines vessels.

And so it began.

 

_Not_

_long_

_now._

Later, when Zoro thought back on this day, what he would remember was the noise. The clangs of steel against steel, the deafening boom of cannon fire, waves crashing onto the sides of Marine ships, wood splintering as their crew took them down one by one, the panicked yells of their enemies, their captains and vice-admirals barking orders.

The smell was another thing. Smoke and fire and blood mixed together into what reminded him a lot of Enies Lobby as it burned. They were nearer to the sea this time, and salt tinged the edge of his tongue. It was a hot day too. There was this one single bead of sweat Zoro couldn’t get out of his eye, that rolled down his temple and dripped off his chin. The sun was burning against his skin.

The sky was a pure, pure blue, he remembered, wildly, ludicrously, whenever he thought about this moment. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. He was sure of it.

In the middle of all that blue, merely a mile beyond, shone the beckoning glow of Raftel.

 

The crew was holding up well.

He felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle, and sure enough, a lightning strike struck just a few feet away from him, taking down a wide radius of their opponents. Nami floated by on Zeus, out of the range of bullets. Usopp was right behind her. Zoro didn’t think he’d ever missed a shot. Everywhere they went, carnivorous plants bloomed, sowing chaos. Those two were never confident in their abilities in close combat, but it seemed they’d found roles that were most suited to them in the end, to support the rest of them.

Sanji, the shit cook, the brother he knew he could always count on, jumped to a height no human without a Fruit ability should ever be capable of. He spun, a half somersault in the air, and the Marines down below were smart enough to know what was coming. Sanji brought his heel down, smoking and covered in flames, and when the kick connected, the ship he was aiming at _caved_. The uppermost wooden floor splintered first, then the ones below deck, until the entire ship was sunk.

Chopper had grown to a gigantic size, a nightmarish creature, causing the ones in his path to scream in terror. When he bellowed, the Marines around him actually froze in their tracks, stricken with fear. His eyes glinted with a mad light as he swatted them away like flies. When their enemies tried canons and bullets, their projectiles bounced off of Chopper’s thick fur as if they were made of cotton. They gulped when Chopper turned those eyes down at him, as wide as the full moon.

Away on another ship, Robin’s hands bloomed everywhere – a hundred, a thousand, a million of them, too many to count. Each grip she had on her victims was deadly. Zoro had never seen anyone more capable of causing harm with such a gentle touch. She had replicated herself too, causing confusion where she was. Her smile, identical on each of her clones, was unnerving.

Franky was an immovable force. His armour he had tuned up to be near impenetrable. He seemed to be able to fire an endless amount of ammo. His hair was in a ridiculous hairstyle again, though he looked actually serious for once. He was watching out for their Devil Fruit users – for Chopper and Robin and Brook – keeping an eye for them lest they fell into the sea as they fought; he’d always had to look after his family, their shipwright.

Brook was running around on the waves. He was laughing, and in this fight, the usually jovial ‘ _Yohohoho_ ’ sounded eerie; it echoed around unnaturally across the seas. He was playing a cheerful jig on his violin, but he’d managed to make it sound chilling. When his opponents were paralyzed by it, he made swift work of them with a jab of his sword that was almost too fast to be seen by the naked eye.

Luffy ran ahead, a hurricane of fists and resolve and as unstoppable and inevitable as fate. The look on her face: the way her lips were pulled back into a snarl, the set determination of her brows, and underneath all that, the joy, the playfulness, born of being alive and fighting and being so close to her dreams, all of it made her the most beautiful person Zoro had ever seen.

Zoro followed Luffy, as he would do forever. One step behind to guard her back, so she could rush headlong to her dream without a care in the world.

 

…Would it be arrogant to say he had been expecting more resistance? Zoro thought as he sliced down two officers heading towards Luffy at once.

 _Where are the admirals?_ He wondered, before his attention was arrested by more Marines closing in on him.

Half of the ships were gone now, and the Strawhats had yet to suffer any major injuries. They were focused on opening up a path for Luffy, for her to get to the shore of Raftel.

And she was almost there.

A last ring of enemy defence was all that was in her way. Zoro spread his feet apart, his three swords in position, and in a swing strong enough to cause a gale, he pushed a whole line of their ships away. The ships on his entire right side all crashed into each other, and the unfortunate crew onboard had to jump ship before being crushed.

On his other side, Luffy reared back, her arm _stretched_. Her fist had been enlarged to the size of a meteor falling, blackened with Haki and smoking from Gear Second. She punched the last of the enemy defence on the left, smashing them to smithereens.

The rest of their crew was right behind them, cleaning up what little was left.

“Go Luffy!!” Nami and Usopp yelled hoarsely from above.

“Almost there, Luffy!” Sanji roared, jumping and hovering in the air.

“You can do it!!” Chopper said. He was gigantic still, standing on an empty ship from which he had swept all of its crew off.

Robin and her multiple clones waved at her. “A little bit more,” they cheered in their disjointed voices.

Franky, smoking and scratched, drew in his chained arm. “GO!” he called.

“Just ahead, Luffy-san!” Brook cried as he ran across the waves behind them.

Luffy looked at last at Zoro. Her eyes were blown wide. She didn’t say anything. The world was smoking and on fire around her, her strawhat steady on her head, fluttering in the sea breeze. She looked almost feral, completely at odds with the calm sea and cloudless sky behind.

Zoro jerked his chin to the island, a mere few paces away. “I’ve got your back,” he promised.

Luffy’s face broke into a slow grin, so wide her eyes were squeezed shut. Zoro would do anything for that grin, anything at all.

“Uhn!”

Luffy jumped, and landed on the soils of Raftel.

 

Luffy ran straight to where the glow was.

Zoro jumped down onto the shore behind her. He looked around, breathing in deep. Raftel…didn’t seem that much different from any other uninhibited island. There were trees swaying lazily in the breeze. Beach rocks jutted up at various parts of the shore, among the ocean of sand giving away to gigantic trees closer to land. Crabs scuttled by.

He scanned his eyes over the rubble of the fleet of Marines that had been deployed to stop them. None of them were left now. Debris washed up to the shore. His crew stood by, wary and on guard. Nami, Usopp and Sanji surveyed the sky above them.

A blast of energy from behind almost knocked him to his feet. In his disorientation, he heard his crewmates yelp in surprise on the sea surface. He whirled around, only to see that the trees on the island were all gone. What was left was a kingdom of gold, and a huge pillar of white light in the middle shooting up towards the heavens.

Luffy stood in front of it, hand stretched out, as if entranced.

 _Zoro_ , he heard.

 _Kuina_? Zoro thought in shock. Her voice seemed to be coming from the light, which had settled now to form a gigantic curtain. A veil.

The crew were similarly mesmerized. No one made a sound. They all looked on with bated breath as Luffy held her hand out, almost touching the light –

 

Buried deep under her covers, Ace held on to Shark tightly. At this moment, it seemed like he was her only friend in the whole world. The sun had come up a while ago and faint light of the early morning had started to shine in through the window. Even with the blanket over her head, Ace was beginning to be able to see.

“Do you think the others are alright?” she asked Shark in a whisper. He smiled his sharp toothy grin at her, as always. His eyes, tiny sewn black beads, were beginning to come off, especially the left side one. It made him look cross-eyed, but Ace didn’t mind. She liked to think that Shark couldn’t see from his left eye, too, like Papa.

Ace frowned to herself. She didn’t understand why they had to go to that island. What was so great about it anyway? She was scared for them, especially with that scary guy there. Papa could see him too, usually, but Ace thought that there was something wrong recently. She’d noticed that the bad guy was able to hide from Papa, because Papa hadn’t been as alert to his presence.

Usopp would tell her some stories about monsters sometimes. Ace liked those stories – monsters were awesome – but she remembered too, how he’d said that some monsters were smart, and they didn’t come out to eat you straight. Sometimes when they were hunting, they’d hide first, and observe from the shadows. Usopp said it was called ‘stalking’.

Ace suspected that was what the bad guy was doing – stalking Papa. The thought of it made her feel really cold, and she wrapped the coat around her more. Mama hadn’t worn it for a really long time, but it always smelled a little bit like her, just the same, like the sea under the sun. It made her feel safer.

Ace refused to cry. She was scared that something would happen to the others, that the bad guy would hurt Papa, but she wouldn’t cry. She’d never seen Mama or Papa cry before, because they were the bravest people sailing the Blues – no no, the bravest people in the whole world.

She held on to Shark and tried to stop her heart from beating so fast.

She stayed like this for a while. She couldn’t even hear anything; they must be really far away from _Sunny._

Someone was knocking on the door.

Ace started, and hugged Shark closer to her. She stared wide-eyed at the door, waiting for it to open, but it didn’t.

“Papa?” she said plaintively. When there was no answer, she tried again. “Mama?”

 …Why was no one answering? The knock came again.

Ace got out from under her blanket carefully. She walked to the door and tried to take a peek outside, to see who was there, but Franky had made the door too big and there wasn’t even a crack she could see through.

“Who’s there?” she asked again. Her heart was beating so fast Ace thought it might be trying to escape from her chest.

The person on the other side was still silent. The knock came again, urgently.

_Knock knock knock!!_

Nami said to never, ever open it. Ace wondered what she should do.

What if…what if it was Mama, or one of the crew? Maybe they were too hurt to speak or open the door. Maybe the bad guy had taken Papa away, and if he could beat Papa, didn’t that mean he could have easily hurt everyone else too?

Ace clutched on to Shark, indecisive. She almost jumped when the knock came again. It was slower this time, and to Ace’s mind, it seemed that the person on the other side was getting tired.

Alarmed, Ace made her decision.

She took a deep breath, and dragged a chair over so she could reach the lock and lever and key pad. She did everything right, and the door slowly opened.

There were strange men on the other side. The one right in front was really, really tall. He wore a red shirt under his white overcoat, and there was a pink flower at his breast pocket.

Ace gulped. She knew who they were, she’d recognised their uniforms – the Marines. And the one in front, his stripes said he was the fleet-admiral.

She tried to run, but Red Shirt grabbed her arm as she tried to escape by their feet. He squeezed so hard it hurt.

Ace clawed at the hand holding her. “Let go!” she pleaded, struggling.

“Look at this,” Red Shirt spat. “Strawhat had dressed her hellspawn in Roger’s get-up. Such arrogance.”

Ace glared at him, though she was still so scared. She didn’t know exactly what he said, but she could always tell when people were talking bad about Mama or Papa. “Don’t speak about Mama like that!”

Red Shirt growled, and his hand got really hot. Ace yelped but she couldn’t get away. Tears started to gather in her eyes from the pain.

“You’re coming with us, girl,” he said. He started dragging her away from her room.

“Stop! I don’t wanna!” Ace said, pulling as hard as she could, until it seemed that her skin would actually give away.

“Stop. Making. A fuss!” Red Shirt shook her so hard it rattled her brain. When he stopped, Ace glared up at him. Fear and anger and worry for her crew bubbled in her heart, clouding her mind. Ace was feeling too much at once; she trembled as everything spilled over.

“I said, ‘I don’t wanna’!!!”

Ace didn’t remember what happened next. The next thing she saw was Red Shirt’s shocked face. Some of the Marines were crumpled on the floor.

“Holy shit! It’s the colour of the Conquerors!” someone said. Another person came and helped Red Shirt hold her up, causing Ace to let go of Shark. She tried to kick and bite at the people restraining her.

Red Shirt was looking enraged now. “Where’re the cuffs?” he barked at the people behind him.

Someone came to her with a pair of cuffs made of pure white stone. Ace tried to resist, she really did, but it was no use.

“Around her neck,” Red Shirt ordered. He grabbed her hair and forced her to stay still as they put it on her. As soon as it made contact with her, her skin _burned_. It hurt so bad. Ace gasped. When they let go of her, she couldn’t even find the strength in her legs to stand up.

Red Shirt looked at her with eyes that were so cold, Ace thought. “Vegapunk was right,” he was saying. “Holystone is the weakness of their kind.”

And that was the last thing Ace could hear, before everything turned to darkness.

 

Later, when he thought back on this day, Zoro would remember this: a hot, cloudless sky, the smell of smoke on the wind, and Luffy’s face, the moment she realised.

Luffy was reaching out to the light; an inch more, and she would brush the realisation of her very dreams. An inch more, and she would be crowned King.

She drew back. When she turned to him, it was with an expression that quaked Zoro’s very being to his boots. The line of her lips, turned down and wobbling. Fear and disbelief and shock coloured every inch of it. Eyes wide with horrific realisation.

“Ace,” she whispered, and Zoro – Zoro _knew._

They ran, heart in their throats, didn’t even bother to acknowledge their crewmates as they passed them. Zoro and Luffy jumped onto the still floating rubble of the ships they’d destroyed just a moment prior.

As they reached the furthest piece of debris, Zoro could see a tiny speck of a Marine ship sailing away into the distance. He knew, knew, _knew_ Ace was with them. The shock and grief and fury that crested within him almost brought him to his knees. “ACE!!!!!” he bellowed, futilely, uselessly. Every letter of her name ripped Zoro’s soul apart, again and again, down to its every atom.

Luffy was terrifyingly silent. Haki shimmered in the air, as if she couldn’t control it. Luffy looked at him, and Zoro recognised that look on her face – that broken, sorrow-stricken, grief-mad look – and his own vision went misty. His throat hurt so goddamn much.

“We’ll get her back,” Luffy whispered, face dark, Haki cloaking her like a shroud. She stared back to the spot where the ship had gone. “And then _they’ll pay_.”

Zoro hung on to her words like a lifeline. He nodded.

**End of Part III**


	16. Part IV

**Part IV**

The atmosphere on _Sunny_ was stiflingly tense. Everyone was wound up so tightly. No one was speaking a word to each other. Chopper clung tight to Nami and the both of them were sniffling in a corner, and that was the only sound on the entire ship.

Shark was on the table in front of them.

Zoro crossed his arms, his fingers were dug in so tight he was sure he’d bruised himself or had broken his skin. He didn’t care at all. After the shock had subsided, only poisonous anger was left in the embers in his chest because how dare they? _How fucking dare they?_ Zoro swore, he’d kill _every single one_ of them. He’d tear them from limb to limb with his _fucking bare hands_ because his swords would be too much of a fucking mercy to use on them. Zoro wanted them to suffer, to watch their own blood drain as their skin was ripped apart, to fear the unholy wrath that swirled within him. The tempest caged within him howled, hungry for blood and violence and every time Zoro blinked, all he could see was red, red, red.   

This…this was beginning to feel like a nightmare had come true to haunt him while his eyes were wide open. Zoro felt as if he was spiralling deeper and deeper into an abyss, until he didn’t know which way was up anymore, until he was drowning and choking on nothing but fury and fear; all-consuming and turbulent and Zoro had never been so afraid in his entire life. Ace was a little girl, but the Marines had proven themselves again and again and again the lengths they would go for their ideals, how low they’d sunk. Ace, quiet, gentle Ace and her hesitant smile. What if they –

Zoro swallowed. Looked away. He didn’t even want to complete the thought. He couldn’t.

Ace…must be so scared. She’d never even been apart from them for more than a few hours before. The thought that she’d be crying, in a strange place surrounded by unkind men who were known to be willing to torture children, that she’d be calling for them, for Papa; it tore Zoro to pieces and pieces. He’d never wished for something more fervently than for Ace to be back with them at that very moment. He would beg, prostrate himself before every deity there was if it’d bring his Baby back safe in his arms. He was suddenly assaulted with the memory of when he’d held her the first time and it _hurt_. It hurt like a stab straight to the heart. He’d give anything, _anything –_

Damn it. Tears of frustration were starting to gather in the corner of his eyes, and for a second, it seemed like the world was swimming away from him. Zoro leaned forward and clutched his head in his hands. He pulled at his hair and commanded himself to. Not cry.

Zoro wanted very much to break things.

Luffy was outside, still staring disbelievingly at the spot where the Marine ship disappeared. They’d been following for a few hours, and they still hadn’t caught up. They’d lost their trail a few hours ago and now they were just blindly sailing on, trying to put it up to fate to point them in the correct way.

Luffy held on to faith that they were doing just that.

Why didn’t they think of making a Vivre Card for her, Zoro wanted to scream. A part of him wanted to lash out, but at who? At what? It was his own fucking fault. He wasn’t good enough, he’d been stupid and ignorant and he wasn’t smart enough to plan this out and now his little girl was caught and god-knows-what they would do to her –

Zoro flung the entire table to the side, startling the crew. Sanji looked pissed, and Zoro glared, daring him to _say a fucking word_.

Sanji looked to the side instead, lighting up a cigarette. Zoro was mad out of his mind and even fucking Sanji didn’t even want to pick a fight.

He kicked the door open, way harder than necessary until it bounced off the wall with a loud bang.

 

Luffy was still looking out to sea. Her face was calm, but Zoro knew better. Her Haki was leaking, and around her, the air was distorted as if she was a mirage, as if she was emanating heatwaves. Her Haki had always reminded Zoro of the uncaring rage of the sea, potent but impersonal. But now the tides within her blood had turned into an unhinged, writhing thing. It was like her very self was drowning. And it was her soul that was howling like a wounded animal.

The moment she saw Zoro coming towards her, Luffy’s mask fractured and tears welled up in her eyes. She turned to lean her head into his chest when he was near enough. Her shoulders shook, and her entire form was wracked with silent, heaving sobs.

Zoro’s heart shattered further. Luffy usually cried so noisily, except when she was actually hurt, then she wouldn’t make a sound because she’d always wanted to hide it from the crew, usually in the library. Zoro was the only one who’d seen her like this.

“I can’t – I can’t sense her anymore,” Luffy whispered, her voice wrought with agony.

Zoro could feel his own face crumple in response. He brought his arms around Luffy and buried his face in her hair. He couldn’t tell which one of them was trembling, or if the pounding thrum he felt was from his heart or hers.

He didn’t know what to say, what to do. He just knew that Luffy was in pain in front of him, and despite their circumstances, his first instinct had been to provide comfort, to reassure her.

He kissed her hair, wet with his own tears now. “We’ll get her back,” he vowed. “ _We’ll get her back_.”

Luffy looked up, eyes still watery, but her resolved had been renewed. She nodded.

“There’s no point sailing like this anymore,” she said softly. “They’ll be taking her to Impel Down.”

The most secure prison in the world, guarded by the strongest people in the Marine’s employ. Some called it hell on earth.

Zoro looked at Luffy, into the fiery depths of her eyes. “Let’s go then,” he said.

 

It all took a while to arrange. Luffy called Sabo, to tell him what was going on, and even from here, thousands of miles away, Sabo’s shock was still palpable.

“…say that again?” his voice filtered in from the den-den mushi.

“The Marines –“ Luffy swallowed. “They took Ace.”

Sabo’s line went quiet, and when he spoke again, the den-den mushi looked thunderous. “I’ll burn them to the _fucking ground_.”

Zoro had a sudden thought just then; Sabo…didn’t he regain his memories when Ace – their brother – was executed by the Marines? …That sickening parallel between the two must not be doing him any favours right now. Or Luffy. The realisation made him lean in closer to her and put a heavy hand where her neck sloped into her tiny shoulders, gently grazing her hairline. Luffy didn’t even look at him, but her breathing immediately evened.

When Sabo had collected himself enough to speak, he asked, “So, on to Impel Down, then?” His voice was stretched so tight. Zoro knew he was one step away from snapping.

“Yes,” Luffy said, calm. After her breakdown outside, Luffy had mostly regained her senses, or as much as mother who’d just had her child taken from her could have anyway. She had a goal now at least, and that was always when Luffy thrived – when she had a purpose to lead them to. Her demeanour seemed to ground Sabo a little. “Do you have a way for us to navigate there? An Eternal Pose or something?”

“Sending you one right now,” Sabo answered. “I’ll meet you there, then.”

Luffy allowed herself a tiny smile. “You’re the best, Sabo.”

The den-den mushi’s eyes looked suspiciously wet. He was silent for a while. “I won’t let them take Ace, again, Lu,” Sabo said quietly.

“We won’t,” Luffy corrected. Sabo chuckled weakly, as if he was about to cry, as if he was pressing his hands to his eyes to prevent just that.

“Yea,” he said.

 

It’d take them a week at least to get to the prison, Nami told them tersely when Sabo’s Eternal Pose came, and that was with them employing every trick they have in their arsenal, from modified engines to artificial squalls from Nami’s Clima-Tact.

Only a single day had passed. Every minute of it crawled.

As the others stood in various parts of the ship looking grim, Zoro paced. He couldn’t stop. Every time he did, he’d start thinking and his thoughts were. Not very pleasant at the moment. Who knew a day could be so long? Zoro had gone through training a thousand times more gruelling than this, but it had only been one day, and Zoro felt that if he stopped moving, he’d collapse. Or break other pieces of their furniture. Or do something stupid, like try to swim to Impel Down as he was half tempted to do.

Franky was hammering furiously at the almost-finished project on the deck non-stop and it was giving him a headache. Zoro refrained from snapping because gods know an argument would be the last thing they needed at that moment.

At night, most of them sat around the kitchen saying nothing. Throughout it all, Luffy never moved from her post on the figurehead, Shark held in her arms the way she always held Ace. None of them could sleep.

The next day, the News Coo came, and with it, the first inkling of what the Marines were planning to do with Ace.

Luffy came into the kitchen, which had become their meeting room at this point. Her face was white  and she didn’t even say a word when she dropped that morning’s newspaper in their midst. Ace’s picture was on the front page.

Zoro dove for it, drank her in. She was alive, still alive. Zoro’s knees almost gave out. He couldn’t help himself, and he traced his fingers softly over her face. However, the more he looked at her, the faster the relief faded, to be replaced by dread. Her face – Zoro’s chest clenched – she looked as if she wanted to hide from the world, from whoever was taking her picture. Her shoulders were tensed defensively, head raised only a little so he could see her wet eyes. Her lips were pursed, the way they did when she was trying not to cry. There was a white collar around her neck, and even from that grainy picture, Zoro could spy her blistered skin. There was a cut under her left eye, still bleeding. She looked remarkably battered for someone who’d only been in custody for a day. That was how long she had been away from them. Just one single day.

The newspaper was shaking. It took Zoro a moment to realise it was his hands that were trembling. He forced himself to look away from Ace so he could read the article beneath her picture. He turned his eyes to the headline.

**Strawhat’s child caught! To be executed in Loguetown! The beginning of the end of an era?**

Zoro’s soul chilled. The crew, pressed in close to him so they could read too, drew in a sharp intake of breath.

**‘In a terrific, cunning feat just a day prior, fleet-admiral Sakazuki of the Marines foiled the Strawhats on the legendary island of Raftel, where he not only managed to stop said crew from ever stepping onto the island after an intense battle, but also captured a valuable hostage – the only daughter of Strawhat Luffy and Pirate Hunter Zoro, dubbed the Child of Death, who is worth one hundred million Beri in bounty despite her young age.**

**With such a bargaining chip on hand, the Marines are hereby demanding the surrender of both Strawhat Luffy and Pirate Hunter Zoro within a fortnight, or their daughter will be executed in Loguetown, the iconic birthplace of the nefarious Pirate King, Gold Roger. Where it once was viewed as the starting point for the current Golden Age of Piracy, with this execution, or the capture of the two mentioned (depending on their actions), it is hoped that this lawless era will be brought to an end.**

**This is a clear victory for the side of justice, but the esteemed fleet-admiral Sakazuki also revealed a shocking truth: that this child is not only born to cutthroat villains. No. She is the child of a man from the depths of Hell!’**

Zoro tried to keep breathing. Around him, his crew made various noises of confusion.

“…what?” Sanji muttered, brows furrowed.

**‘‘Roronoa Zoro is not human’, the fleet-admiral quoted. ‘He is an abomination who somehow managed to find his way to this world, a freak of nature. And so is his whelp too, by extension. But due to the diligence of our research department, we had managed to discover the bane of their kind, and that was how we subdued the girl.’**

**The admiral also admitted that this is why they are seeking the arrest of Roronoa as well. ‘No doubt about it,’ he said. ‘There will be no hiding from justice. I will get them one day. And as for Roronoa, I’ll send him back to the hole from whence he crawled from.’**

**When asked if Roronoa’s pedigree had a hand in his killing of the late admiral Borsalino five years ago, the fleet-admiral had no comment.**

**In a world where monsters and villains are running amok, the citizens of the world should be thankful that they can rest easy, knowing that the Marines are hard at work maintaining peace. It is thanks to august men like the fleet-admiral that civilians can go about their day without worry. We are truly fortunate to be taken under their wings.**

***More details on page 12.’**

All eyes were on him now. Zoro looked at them defiantly, challenging. He was _not_ in the mood to hash out questions about his parentage right now.

Sanji took a long drag of his cigarette. “So that’s the big bad shithead we have to take down, huh?” he spat. “What a bastard. Just. Look! Look at what they’d done to Ace-chan!”

“She’s all beat up,” Chopper mumbled softly.

Robin’s gaze was frigid as she continued scanning the paper. “They said they’re planning to execute her,” she said in a flat voice. Zoro’s body immediately tensed at the word being used in the same sentence as his daughter.

“Over my dead body!” Brook said, half-heartedly trying to force a joke. Everyone else cringed.

Zoro slowly relaxed. He knew his crew well enough that this was their way of saying they wouldn’t press the issue of his origin right now. That’s…that’s good. He didn’t think he could handle it just then. Not when the Marines had just _threatened his daughter’s life._

“They can fucking try,” he muttered when he had a hold of his vocal cords again. He looked up at Luffy, whose face was devoid of expression. He didn’t even need to ask her to know how livid she was. He wondered if the Marines knew all they did with that gambit was push Luffy further to the edge. They were just digging their own graves at this point.

“They’re using her to get to us,” she seethed, locking eyes with Zoro. Her voice was like the calm before a storm. Before all hell broke loose. She sounded more and more volcanic with each word. People assumed Luffy’s temper was loud and boisterous. They had no idea how taciturn she got the more enraged she was. How her silence was her at her most terrifying.

“Their mistake,” Zoro retorted. He threw the paper to the side. It was just making him feel sick with contempt.

Luffy nodded, sharp. She looked at them, just a sweep of her eyes, and she managed to gather their attention at once. Her spine was straight with resolve, molten with rage.

“We need to change our course,” she said. “They’ve announced the final location they’d bring Ace to now. We’d just be wasting time chasing them to Impel Down.”

Zoro’s heart seized. “…But that would mean we’d get to Ace later,” he said slowly. It’d take more than a week to get to East Blue from where they were. The prison was only six days away, five if the wind was in their favour.

Luffy didn’t even hesitate. Her eyes were still level on his. “I know,” she said, and only Zoro knew her well enough to hear the break in her voice. He resisted the urge to gather her in his arms. Now was not the time. “But if we go to Impel Down, we might miss her if we got there a bit later or if they moved the – the execution forward.”

It…it made sense, though Zoro still wanted to protest. He’d risk that for getting to Ace a few days sooner. Didn’t Luffy see what they did to her in just one day?

He held his piece, though. He wouldn’t challenge their captain right now, not in front of the crew. They were already nodding along, and Nami had already gone off to make adjustments to their course – she’d be able to bring them to Loguetown, their navigator could get them to any island they’d been to before – while Robin was preparing to get the den-den mushi, for Luffy to tell Sabo about the change in plans.

Luffy met his eyes and Zoro could see it, she could read him as well as he could read her; she knew he wasn’t happy about this.

But, later, when they were alone.

 

There was a child in Impel Down.

She sat in a corner of her cell, curled into a tiny ball to occupy the smallest space possible as if she was trying to hide from the world. The coat she wore was dirty now, and the cut under her eye, caused when she was dragged from the _Thousand Sunny_ , or so he was told, had mostly healed.

The abused skin under her white made-shift collar, however, had not. He had tried to suggest taking the cuff off now, because what could they possibly need it for when she was already captured, but his superior remained adamant. He was quickly informed that she had Conqueror’s Haki, and they’d need to treat her as extremely dangerous, which was why she was locked up in the lowest floor. He’d always known the fleet-admiral to have a reputation for being heartless in his pursuit of justice, but he’d never imagine him being turned into an apprehensive coward by a little girl.

They also hadn’t given her food. He wondered how long a child could go without eating.

They’d tried to get her to tell them her name too, but even when frightened, the child had remained tight-lipped. She still mustered up enough strength to glower at them though her bony frame shook like a leaf in the wind. They gave up in the end because they didn’t want to harm such a priceless hostage. Her name wasn’t important anyway. No, what mattered most was the people who would come after her.

That little girl, she had one hell of a glare. He wouldn’t expect less from the daughter of Strawhat Luffy and Pirate Hunter.

They’d be on their way now, her parents and their crew. Another war was brewing, and he was frustrated that his superiors were allowing that to happen again. Had they learned nothing from Marineford?

Not for the first time in his life, as he stood watching a child torn from her family and imprisoned, as he witnessed his superiors discussing the execution of a little girl, young admiral Coby wondered if he was standing on the right side of history.


	17. the world in pieces at Atlas's feet

The silence was starting to get to Zoro.

Ace had never been a rambunctious child. She spoke softly, laughed only in dainty giggles and even when she walked, her footsteps on the ground were as noiseless as a cat’s. She never gave them trouble when she was a baby, never really cried, such an easy baby. And as she grew up, Ace was the type of child who would be hesitant to even voice out her needs. You had to really pay attention if you wanted to know what went on inside her head.

How could the absence of one so quiet be so deafening?

The crew seemed to be feeling it, too. Whenever they moved, they’d be conscious about making too loud of a noise, to not disturb the air. They treaded on eggshells and it made it seem as if the _Sunny_ was inhabited by walking ghosts wary of their own shadows.

The sun sank far far away, drawing another day to a close, another day in which Ace was still apart from them. Zoro was counting the minutes. Every single second was too long. He wondered if he was starting to go mad, because that would explain how he could taste Ace’s absence on the base of his tongue, sharp and bitter like bile; how he could feel time moving like molasses on his skin, how even starlight felt too, too cold.

He went to Luffy on the figurehead. They needed to talk.

Luffy stood unmoving as she had been for the past two days. She didn’t eat, didn’t sleep, didn’t really speak unless she had to. A masochistic part of him wondered if she had been like this when her brother was taken before he could help it. He forced the thought away.

Luffy looked briefly at him, and Zoro sighed. When he sat down beside her and tried to pull her down into his lap, she resisted, stubborn.

“C’mon, you must be tired,” he cajoled softly. Purple was stamped under her eyes; it made her look older and worn beyond her years. Zoro hadn’t looked in the mirror but he doubted he wasn’t the same, because he hadn’t been sleeping either.

Luffy just continued to stare at him expressionlessly, but she eventually allowed herself to be tucked under his chin. Her warm breath fanned against the skin in the hollow of his collarbones and Zoro stroke her hair, the way he did a thousand times before. She was wearing the necklace Ace gave them. Zoro’d finally figured out what the clay lump was a while ago; he put the lump – the pendant – on his necklace with Luffy’s now, and they came together to form a tag with Ace’s name carved painstakingly in the middle in a child’s unsteady handwriting. 

Zoro…tried to think how he should go about this. His sleep-deprived brain gave up on him and he decided to just be blunt.

“We should head to Impel Down,” Zoro said, and he felt Luffy stiffen immediately. He felt bad that he was piling this on top of everything else, but he had to say this before it was too late. If they turned around right now, they could still get there a couple of days earlier than they’d reach Loguetown.

“They’re taking Ace to Loguetown,” Luffy said. Her tone was guarded, and…she’d never sound like that when she talked to him before.

Zoro drove on still in spite of it, persistent. This was Ace on the line here. “You saw what they did to her in just one day,” he argued, eyes narrowed.

“She’s still alive,” Luffy replied and Zoro’s temper, on a shorter leash than usual due to the sleep deprivation, hanged on by a thread. He tried to calm himself down. He really, really didn’t want to fight with her right now, so he reined himself in, though the hostility bubbled still.

Very carefully, Zoro chose his next words. “There are worse things than being dead,” he said. And Ace was five; those worse things would follow her for the rest of her life.

In his arms, Zoro could feel Luffy’s muscles tensing, coiled as if in preparation for a fight. “Being alive is enough,” she said harshly. “You don’t get second chances if you’re dead.”

Zoro growled. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, pulled at the roots. She was being too damn stubborn about this. In response to his reaction, Luffy glared, challenging. It was clear she would not back down from this.

See? This was exactly why Zoro didn’t want to say this in front of the crew. He knew it’d look bad, that he was defying their captain like this. Morale was low enough as it was without the first mate mutinying.

He tried to slow down his breathing. “We can have her back earlier if we go to Impel Down,” he said, changing tactics. It was a dirty trick, bribing her this way, but Zoro didn’t care at the moment. Luffy almost wavered.

She didn’t say anything for a while, and Zoro dared to hope that he’d won. But then she looked away, biting her lips, and he knew she was dreading what she preparing to say next.

She drew in a breath, exhaled through her lips, and even though they were kind of in the middle of an argument right now, Luffy still leaned closer to Zoro to seek reassurance and Zoro rubbed her arms without thinking.

Luffy finally spoke, “When – when I went to Impel Down last time –“ she swallowed, and Zoro stilled at the subject she was bringing up, old wounds she was lancing open “ – all I did, all I did was…I hurt myself, Zoro,” she said, earnest, and Zoro couldn’t look away from the pain in her eyes. “I got trashed. I thought I could beat anyone there, if it was to – to save my Ace, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t…good enough. And when I made it to Marineford later on, I could – I could barely still fight.”

Boundless remorse flooded through Zoro. Why…why hadn’t he thought of this? He tried to shush Luffy – she needn’t continue recounting the most traumatic day of her life anymore –  but she pressed on, insistent, as if she thought he needed to know. “If I had gone to Marineford from the beginning with – with Ace’s crew, maybe I could have – “ she paused, choking on tears. Zoro’s heart shattered and he curled around her protectively, even though this was pain he couldn’t help her fight.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, leaning into her wet face. Luffy’s eyes were closed, brows furrowed as she keened, and Zoro rocked back and forth with her in his arms, trying to sooth her, to lessen this pain he’d caused her to relive.

Zoro, very much, wanted to flagellate himself. Luffy had always brought him courage, made him do things he normally couldn’t, while he –

He didn’t deserve her.

“We’ll get her back,” he promised her desperately. They had said those exact four words to each other god knows how many times now, but he still said it again; an oath reinforced through repetition. He vowed. He vowed he would do it no matter what it took. No matter the price this time. He refused to let this be the accompaniment of the nightmare she had just forced herself to revisit.

Luffy’s sobs settled down to tiny hiccups, and Zoro scrunched his brows in silent agony, because he was suddenly reminded of Ace – their Ace – how she would hiccup the same way when she cried.

They would get her back. He whispered the oath into Luffy’s skin, until it sank into her sinew and bones and very soul, a tattoo on the myocytes of her heart. Until her tears stopped. Luffy pressed her nose into the hollow of his collarbones – her spot, always hers – and took deep shuddering breaths. Her fingers curled around his neck like honeysuckle vines.

“I’m sorry,” Zoro said again when she was finally quiet. Luffy just smiled at him, though the edges of it were still broken and fractured. She kissed his neck, affectionate and soothing, and wasn’t it unfair how he was the one who caused her pain yet she was the one consoling him?

Luffy had never been one to bear a grudge, so Zoro would have to be the one to punish himself for her. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness, but he promised he’d spend the rest of his life making it up to her. He looked down at her, eyes burning, and Luffy, Luffy who read him so easily, caressed his jaw, pressed a kiss there.

“Love you,” she mumbled. Zoro hugged her tighter, tighter. Until there was no more space between them. He kissed her eyelids, the bridge of her nose, her neck where life pulsed beneath her skin.

_Love you, too._

They stayed like this for a long time. At some point, Luffy fell asleep for the first time since her daughter was stolen away. Zoro looked after her until the sun rose.

 

The next morning, their den-den mushi rang non-stop. It seemed their allies had caught wind of Ace’s scheduled execu – Ace’s capture.

That green-haired guy, whosit, that weirdo who blubbered whenever he even set eyes on Luffy, Nami must have given him and Luffy’s other sworn underlings their number because she foresaw future rewards to be sowed. Or she didn’t want a miss a chance to swindle them. Honestly, it could go either way with her, that witch.

But this was actually working out to be in their favour. Any help they could get.

Luffy’s face was hardened as she held the receiver to the den-den mushi. “We heard about your little girl, Luffy-senpai!” Bard(?) Barto(?) was saying. He sounded extremely miffed. “How dare the Marines go after an innocent like this? No matter, we’ll help you get her back! As sworn, Luffy-senpai, we’ll follow you to hell and back!” Zoro could hear his crew echoing his sentiments from the other end.

Luffy still hadn’t said a word. Zoro knew, knew how headstrong and independent she was. Didn’t the newspaper say she refused Whitebeard’s help or something years ago? She turned their rescue operation into a competition, didn’t she?

…If Zoro knew nothing else, he understood Luffy. That had been the way since the first day they’d met. No one had made sense to Zoro like Luffy. Before her, he’d never been interested in…in fraternizing, because he could never understand people, how they placed such importance in trifle things that never mattered, tied themselves down and selling their own dreams in return for – for what? Safety? A false sense of security? Zoro couldn’t, for the life of him, empathise with a concept so alien to him. What was the point of living to those people?

Luffy was the first person he could read. Even on the first day, when she just declared to him, out of the blue, that she wanted to be Pirate King, though he scoffed – because that was what people were supposed to do, wasn’t it? – a bigger part of him, the part that was starved for companionship and understanding, without even a thought, that part of him had started to nod along as he listened to her words because _Ah, yes. Of course. That is why we’re alive._

Then, as they spent years sailing together, Zoro had come to realise that…that despite her ability to draw people to her, what the two of them had, how they could read each other’s very souls, was as precious to her as it was to him. And he understood then, that she had been starved too.

That was why he wasn’t surprised when he read on the newspaper years ago that she was adamant in rescuing her brother by herself. He knew how to read her very soul.

…He wished it wasn’t the case now.

He would still follow her, of course. He’d support the captain in whatever she chose to do, but he hoped she wouldn’t refuse the help her unwanted followers were so generously offering.

“What are your orders, Luffy-senpai?” Barto asked eagerly at attention. “Shall we follow you to Loguetown and fight together?”

Luffy stayed silent. Zoro held his breath, but then Luffy smiled, grateful. “I’d – I’d appreciate that, Chicken-head,” she said. And Zoro could hear whoops in the background from their allies’ ship. Zoro tried not to make it too obvious how relieved he was.

…It seemed that Zoro wasn’t the only one who’d been changed by Ace.

Nami took over the discussion, then, to keep them updated about the situation. Zoro was glad they had someone capable of taking care of planning like this. He’d never admit it till he died, but he was really, really thankful for Nami.

…They did have a plan for how they were going to fight the Marines in Loguetown. Their usual approach of just storming in would be too risky with Ace’s life on the line. It was a plan with three steps, at most, because anything more would fall apart despite their best efforts to contain Luffy (and Zoro), but there was a plan.

Franky was handed the receiver now. Zoro hoped their allies have shipwrights as competent as their own. They were going to need it.

Luffy stood by as she watched her crew take care of business for her. Her shoulders were less tense now and when Zoro reached for her hand under the table, she slipped her fingers in between his. It assuaged him to find that her hands weren’t shaking.

 

Ace sat in her corner and tried her very best to seem unassuming. She had no idea how much time had passed, because they were underground (she thought?) and there were no windows to reveal the passing of the days. She couldn’t even count time by meals because they hadn’t given her anything to eat.

Ace was…really, really hungry. Her tummy wouldn’t stop rumbling. _“There’s an earthquake in your tummy!”_ Mama would say if she were here and, Ace, more than anything, wished she was. And Papa. And Nami and Usopp and Sanji and Chopper and Robin and Franky and Brook. She missed them so much. Ace hanged on tightly to the hope that they would come get her soon. They would. Papa had promised.

Her lips were cracked and dry, and she’d had to stop herself from picking at it because they’d begin to bleed. But they’d only give her water so rarely and Ace was really, really thirsty too.

But the thing that was the worst was that collar thing. They wouldn’t take it off. Ace had tried to, but every time she touched it, her hands would burn. That was how her neck felt at first too, but at least the pain had settled down and it was just throbbing now. Ace hoped it was because she was getting used to it and not because the nerve ending there were broken, like Chopper said they would when a burn was bad enough.

Ace hugged Mama’s coat around herself and tried not to shiver. Discretely, she looked at the guards outside.

There were fourteen of them at any time, and each of them had a key to one of the padlocks to her cell. The other four keys were held by Red Shirt, a blind old man, a green cow, and the guy who was supposed to be the leader of her guards – that one with pink hair.

Ace actually thought Pink Hair was kind of nice. He always sounded sorry when he spoke to her when he was here, and he always tried to tell them to give her more water. Though that didn’t change that he was one of the people keeping her here at all.

Ace perked up when she heard some scuffling down the corridor. She looked up to see what was going on.

It was Red Shirt. Ace shrunk back into the corner and pretended to not pay attention. He was leading a big old man in handcuffs down to her cell. That old guy looked really pissed when he caught sight of her.

“You bastard, Sakazuki,” he was shouting, and he was so loud Ace flinched. “She’s just a little girl! If you want someone from my family, I’m here, aren’t I?”

Red Shirt – Sazukaki? Sakekaki? – glowered, and Ace remembered how hot his arm felt on hers when he caught her on _Sunny._ Sometimes the air around him looked funny, like he had too much heat in him, like Sanji’s pots when they were on the stove, and Ace wondered if this meant he had a Fruit power. She catalogued that thought in her head.

“The death of just you alone would not negate the sins of your entire clan, Garp,” Red Shirt replied. “And your damned grand-daughter had the audacity to breed with a demon, she should know to pay the consequences.”

That old guy looked incensed. He was fuming and Ace knew that if he wasn’t so injured and old or if he didn’t have his cuffs on, he would’ve strangled Red Shirt. Ace almost cheered for him. “Damn you, Sakazuki,” he growled. “ _I should have killed you that day._ ”

“But you didn’t. Instead, you were foolish enough to try to break that whelp out. When we were so willing to overlook your relations with her, too.”

They’d reached the door to her cell now, and Ace was surprised to see that Pink Hair had been walking behind them the whole time. She’d just didn’t notice him because he was being so quiet.

The guards all took out a key, and after Red Shirt and Pink Hair inserted theirs, the door opened – How did that make sense? Did that mean only a few of those locks had to be opened for the door to work? – and the old guy was ushered in. The door slammed shut behind him and Red Shirt left. He hadn’t even looked at Ace.

Instead, Pink Hair was observing the old guy from outside. They just looked at each other for a while. “…You rushed in again, as usual, Garp-san,” Pink Hair finally said.

To Ace’s surprise, the old guy threw back his head and laughed. “Aren’t you cheeky, brat,” he said, smiling roguishly, and Ace was startled to see how much he looked like Mama with that grin. Then, he settled down, pensive and looking at the ground. “I won’t lose another family to the Marines again, Coby,” he continued. “I have already given my life to them, and I’d be damned if another dead family member is what I get in return.”

Pink Hair looked pained, but he nodded. “I understand.”

Old man laughed again, but it sounded more wistful this time. “No, no you don’t,” he said, eyeing Pink Hair closely. “Ah you young-uns, you still have no idea of your own limits. What you’d refuse to give up for your ideal, eh?”

Pink Hair sighed. “Maybe not, but I know I wouldn’t just try to rush in that way, Garp-san,” he said reproachfully. He ruffled his hair and chuckled to himself a little. “I have a feeling that Luffy-san is going to be this way too, when she comes.”

Ace’s eyes widened. Were they talking about Mama?

Old guy guffawed loudly. “She’s a stupid girl, too, that one. Runs in the family, I suppose.”

Pink Hair gave a small smile. “Please stay put until she does come, Garp-san,” he said. Then after a cursory glance at the guards around them, he leaned in closer and murmured, “I’ll try to convince them, to stop the whole thing.”

Old guy looked at him pityingly, but he didn’t refute him. “Go then,” he said instead. “I promise to be good while you’re gone.” Another loud, earth-shaking laugh.

Pink Hair gave him a mock salute. Before he left, he crouched down, tried to grab Ace’s attention, but she refused to look at him. “It’ll be – it’ll be alright, okay?” he said. When Ace didn’t answer him, he got up and walked back from where he came. 

Old guy turned his attention to her now, and Ace tried very, very hard to stay still. She had no idea what this guy wanted.

“Hey,” he said, gentle. When he tried to walk closer to her, Ace backed up to the wall and he stopped immediately. “What’s your name?” he asked instead. Ace looked stubbornly away and said nothing at all.

Old guy chortled lowly. He made himself comfortable by sitting on the ground. He looked at her for so long Ace was starting to feel uncomfortable. “I’m your mother’s grandpa, you know,” he said after a while.

That made Ace look up. “Mama?” she whispered.

That expression on Old guy’s face was hard to read, but he seemed like he might be trying to stop himself from crying. “Yea,” he grunted. “I guess that makes me your great-grandpa, huh?” He laughed.

Ace frowned. Brook would say he was her grandpa, sometimes. Did that mean this guy was crew? Family?

Ace still didn’t trust him, so she kept her mouth shut.

“You know, she didn’t even tell me when she had you,” Old guy was saying. It seemed like he was perfectly happy to hold this conversation all by himself. “But I guess I can’t blame her, not after –“ he coughed. “Anyway, just settle down, okay? Great-grandpa won’t let them hurt you anymore. Not while I’m here. I’ll take care of you until your Mama comes, sounds good?”

He looked at her, determined and fierce and he really, really looked like Mama for some reason. Despite herself, Ace cautiously started to nod.


	18. tomorrow, our hearts shall echo wardrums

Ace was startled awake by a loud clang. She whirled around blearily, and for a moment, she couldn’t remember where she was, why her neck was throbbing. Everything around her was red and too warm. Ace blinked, her vision cleared, and when she saw Old guy sitting in the corner, only then did she remember.

Mama and Papa still hadn’t come get her. She swallowed her disappointment against her aching throat and tried not to cry, though it was hard. She was hungry and thirsty and everything hurt and she couldn’t sleep well on the hard ground and the people around her were so scary –

“Hey,” Old guys said softly, breaking her away from her thoughts. He looked at her closely. “Hey, pull yourself together. You’re fine.”

Ace clutched on to Mama’s coat around her. She tried to be brave.

The loud clang she heard a moment ago turned out to be from the door down the hallway. Red Shirt, the blind old man, the green cow and Pink Hair were walking towards them. Ace wondered what they wanted.

Red Shirt came up to their cell and glared at Old guy. “Stay where you are, Garp,” he warned. “We’re beginning her transfer.”

Old guy just settled back and grinned toothily at Red Shirt’s threatening sneer. “Oh you know me, Sakazuki. Wouldn’t want to cause any trouble.”

Red Shirt turned to the three around him. “Watch him,” he ordered as the guards came over to unlock the door.

Ace stilled. ‘Transfer’ Red Shirt had said. This meant they were going to bring her somewhere else. This…this was her last chance. If she was fast enough –

Red Shirt caught her just as she was making a bolt for it and Ace couldn’t help it, she cried out in pain.

The Old guy rose from his corner. “Let her go this instant, Sakazuki!” he warned, anger crackling in his eyes.

Pink Hair came forward to get her, as if he wasn’t even thinking about what he was doing, but Red Shirt turned to glare at him, causing him to stutter in indecision.

The blind guy behind them tittered disapprovingly. “Really,” he muttered. “There’s simply no need to be so rough on a child.” The air around him grew heavy; an admonishment. Red Shirt looked enraged that they were challenging him, but when he saw four pairs of eyes on him, all displeased, he loosened his grip on her. Ace fell to the floor.

Red Shirt growled and swept away. “Bring her, then,” he bit out. After considering, he added, “Garp, too.”

Old guy looked up, raising an eyebrow. “What? Am I invited too?”

Red Shirt didn’t even turn around. “You should accompany you great-granddaughter. Perhaps your presence in addition to hers would subdue Strawhat into obedience.”

At that, Old guy laughed and laughed, as if this was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “HAhahah,” he wiped a tear from his eyes. “Ohhh you sorry fool, you know nothing about my granddaughter, do you?”

He grinned at Red Shirt, who was so angry his face was entirely red now. “Fine then, I’ll come. Help me up, Coby.” Pink Hair came and pulled him so he could hobble to his feet.

When the blind guy came forward to get her, Ace shrunk back, but he smiled kindly down to her. “It’s alright, girl,” he said quietly, so the others wouldn’t hear. “I promise not to harm a single hair on you until your mother arrives. I’m quite fond of her, you know.”

Ace dared to hope. “Is Mama coming?” she whispered furtively.

The blind man smiled, “If I know anything about her, she won’t let her loved ones down, and I should think she loves you very, very much, doesn’t she?”

Ace nodded hesitantly, though only after did she realise he probably couldn’t see. Blind guy went on regardless, as he took one of her hands in his. “Dear lord, did they give you nothing to eat at all?” he muttered once he felt her hands. “No matter, child. Stay close to us, and this whole farce would be over soon.”

Despite herself, Ace felt comforted. She followed him as they walked down the hall, pass the fields of ice and lava and into a strange ship. Ace really, really missed _Sunny_ all of a sudden. She hoped with all her heart she’d be back on her soon.

 

Zoro never thought they’d be back in East Blue again so soon.

Even the air felt different. Where on the Grand Line it’d be tinged with traces of thunder, hurricanes and various other meteorological disasters oncoming, here, there was nothing. And if sailing the deadliest sea in the world had taught Zoro anything, it was this: there was no true calm, only the pretence of it before a storm.

The tranquillity and the almost submissive way the waves lapped on _Sunny’s_ helm brought him on edge. It was like the world was holding its breath, bracing itself. The way Zoro was feeling inside.

They would get to Loguetown in two days. Two days. Until he could hold his little girl in his arms again.

The crew had settled themselves into sort of a schedule again within the week they’d been sailing towards their destination. Sanji prepared meals and demanded that everyone ate a little of it at least. When Zoro snapped at him and told him he wasn’t in the mood, he’d near rammed an onigiri down his throat. Luffy, their resident black hole, hadn’t been eating much either, and it was like an out of body experience to see her. Refuse. Food. Sanji had been heartbroken, but he’d gone back to the kitchen with determination and made all of her favourites. Luffy had nibbled at it just to appease him.

Nami, as dependable as ever, had taken over corresponding with their many allies while Robin talked in codes to Sabo. They’d gone over their plans so many times now that Zoro could see it in his head whenever he closed his eyes, along with the thousands of ways it could go wrong. He had to wrestle himself from those thoughts whenever he caught himself doing that. They’d tried to prepare for everything now, and if he kept fretting over every little detail, he’d only lose his mind.

People were starting to sleep again, Chopper had insisted. They’d need all their strength soon, and not sleeping wouldn’t help anyone. He’d threaten to drug them if anyone didn’t go to bed on time.

Luffy acquiesced. But she’d only ever slept on the figurehead anymore, so Zoro did, too. Wouldn’t want her to fall into the ocean before they even got there. It’d be difficult to explain to Ace what happened to Mama when they got her back.

Most of the time though, once Chopper was safely back in his room, Zoro would mostly stay awake throughout the night. He’d look at Luffy, who usually snored and rolled about in her sleep and had kicked him off the bed more times than he could count, compared it to the way she was now; her breaths shallow and silent, brows furrowed into a frown, as if bad dreams were plaguing her. She’d hugged herself into a ball, defensive and tense. Zoro looked at her and memorized how her lashes curled, how her hair ruffled, the way her eyes darted behind her lids, the unhappy downward slope of her lips.

He brushed her hair out of her eyes. When he pulled the blanket in closer around her, he tried very hard not to think how Ace liked her covers tucked exactly the same way too.

Then, he waited for dawn.

 

One day more.

One day.

 

After sailing for a really long time, they’d finally arrived somewhere. Ace was led out to a weird island where everyone on it was a Marine. She wondered what happened to the people who stayed there, because there were houses and shops that looked abandoned. There was no chatter or noises and all she could hear were orders being given and neat marching footsteps.

Ace blinked when they let her off the ship. She hadn’t seen the sun for a long while now. It was hiding today too, so it wasn’t that bright out, but her eyes still hurt a little because she’d been in a dark cell. The sky wasn’t even that visible, and the island was covered by a big sheet of puffy clouds. Ace tried to remember the name of it – stratocumulus, was it? – but she wasn’t sure. Nami would know. Nami knew everything about clouds.

They led her to the middle of the empty town where there was a really tall platform. They made her go up on it, up the ladders till she reached the very top. It was so high up Ace felt woozy when she looked down.

Red Shirt had wanted to put handcuffs on her, but Old guy and the three Marines didn’t want to.

“What now, Sakazuki?” The blind man said. “What good would cuffs do, hmm? Are you so afraid of a little girl running away from under your watch? Do you think she would slip though all those guards watching her? Not to mention the thousands of Marines on the island?”

Red Shirt had fumed, but said nothing. He’d been looking angrier and angrier since they left the prison. Before he went down the platform, he barked out something and two men with weird sword things came up to stand beside her. Their strange weapons had white blades, like they were made of stone instead of steel.

“Who’re they?” she whispered to the blind man, who was sitting beside her. Pink Hair was down below with Old guy, and the green cow-man had taken a seat in a row of three chairs placed in front of the platform.

The blind man smiled at her, but Ace could tell he was hiding something. “Don’t mind them now,” he said. He took out a pork bun from his pocket and sat down beside her. Ace looked at it and tried not to swallow. “Might as well make ourselves comfortable when we wait for your mother, eh? Would you like something to eat?”

Ace nodded. She almost snatched it away from his hands when he offered it to her and she inhaled it within a second. She knew she was being rude, but she was so, so hungry.

The blind man looked upset for a while, but he pretended to smile when Ace had finished. “Shall I go get you something to drink, as well?” he said.

Ace looked down. “Yes, please,” she whispered.

“Alright, just a moment, then,” he said. Then, he left and Ace was left alone with the two silent men on top of the platform. From here, she could look out to the sea. It was really blue and quiet out. Ace could hear seagulls, but that was about it. She could smell the sea on the wind and it made her really sad because, she missed it so much.

 _I’ll always come for you, Ace,_ she remembered Papa saying, and she was brave again. She stared stubbornly at the sea, at home, and waited for her family to come get her.

 

They’d make land in a few hours. Everyone was grim and battle-ready. The distinct difference was unmistakable – when they were approaching Raftel, they were nervous too, but the edges of it were dipped in bright excitement and anticipation. This time though, all Zoro could feel beneath the anxiety of his crew was resolve and rage. Bloodthirst to echo his own.

Luffy looked feral, like an unwilling tempest contained in too tight of a confine in the body of a mere mortal. She gripped the rails so hard they splintered beneath her nails. Her eyes locked on to where they were beginning to see their destination, swathed in gentle, morning light. Countless ships were already circling it.

Loguetown sat in their midst, serene and uncaring. Taunting them with its impassiveness.

 

The crew wouldn’t be landing with them this time. The Marines had given them explicit orders not to via newspaper. Luffy and Zoro were the only ones they wanted. So as they said their silent goodbyes, Zoro looked at his crew, his family, one last time as he climbed the ladder down.

 _Don’t fail_ , he was telling them.

His only answer were unseen snarls etched onto each of their faces with the brushstrokes of indignation, curled at the edges by wrath. _We won’t._

Then, Zoro turned and stepped onto the shore with Luffy by his side. Together, they turned, they who held fate in the palms of their very hands.

 

Loguetown was eerily quiet. The clouds Nami had promised floated ominously overhead, covering every blue inch of the sky above. All the civilians had been forcefully evacuated. Sabo had told them that they had chosen Loguetown because the Marines didn’t want a repeat performance of what happened last time in their shining new headquarters. Besides, he had added with a sneer, if (when) Loguetown was destroyed in the process, it would be _symbolic_ – the end of a detested era. It would appear that their fleet-admiral was a secret fucking poet at heart.

Zoro remembered Loguetown, years and years ago. Being chased by rain and smoke and Luffy’s miraculous rescue by a strike of lightning – an act of the gods. They were so young then, he thought. Zoro looked at Luffy beside him now, how the gaping scar in the middle of her chest was like a crater, an empty cavity in which something precious and innocent had once resided, eroded by a single act of calculated cruelty by those high in power, people who were opposed to freedom.

Zoro had his own scars too. The slash in front, a gift of life barely held on. Those at the back, earned so his daughter could live. That one over his eye, all that was left from an irrevocable exchange.

There were no painless lessons, after all.

 

The blind man came up with some water and Ace drank it all up eagerly. The collar was even making it hard to swallow but she was too thirsty to care. When she’d finished, she looked into the empty canteen regretfully.

“Thank you,” she said in spite of it, because Sanji was strict about table manners. You always thank the person who gave you something to eat and drink. The blind man smiled as she handed him the canteen carefully into his palm.

Red Shirt yelled at him from below. “It’s almost time, Issho! Get to your station!”

A look of distaste crossed the blind man’s face, and he got up on his creaky knees. He grinned kindly at her one last time and began to climb down. Throughout it all, Ace noticed that the two guards behind him was watching his every move.

Soon, he’d reached the row of chairs where the green cow was sitting. Pink Hair was there too. In front of them was the Old guy from the cell, who was made to kneel and they’d put cuffs on his legs. Red Shirt, the one that scared Ace the most, sat in a higher chair behind them. Nearby, there was a small group of people in brightly-coloured clothes: a tall woman sitting on a giant snake, a man made of a large tent (?), and a man with a giant black sword strapped to his back. They looked out of place here; Ace almost thought they were pirates.

The clouds above rolled on. Ace thought she could hear thunder, but it sounded weird somehow, kinda like – they sounded like the whirs of propellers?

Her senses tingled suddenly and her attention was snatched by a figure far away, standing on top of one of the taller buildings. He was there – the scary bad man – he looked down at all the Marines gathered there with his green eye and didn’t even move. Ace’s heart dropped all the way to her shoes. Her tummy felt funny, like there were butterflies in it trying to fly out. Her hands started shaking so she clenched them into fists on her knees.

Brave. She had to be brave.

A loud horn sounded, and everyone was talking at once, excited for some reason. Red Shirt took out a megaphone den-den mushi and spoke into it.

“So, have you come to give yourselves up?” he asked. He sounded calm, but Ace could hear something beneath it – the cold cruelty he was barely hiding. The countless Marines gathered in the square stirred restlessly.

Then, from the far distance, at the very edge of the crowd, Ace could see two people walking slowly in.

Papa and Mama.

Ace really did cry, then.

 

Zoro knew exactly where they were supposed to go. If that bastard fleet-admiral of theirs was striving for fucking symbolism, there’d be only one place they would put Ace. He followed Luffy there, straight to the square, the place of the beginning and the end.

He could hear too, the entirety of the forces of the Marines gathered in one place. Loguetown was considerably smaller than Marineford, and so many soldiers crammed into such a small arena made for a noisy field. He could hear them before he could see them. The few Marines stationed outside of the square simply gulped and let them pass by. He assumed this meant they wanted the two of them to walk right up to them, then. What fucking arrogance.

Then, he could feel it, right at the edge of his senses, a little girl born of the wind and the sea, scared and alone and in pain. His daughter.

His heart lurched and he almost ran straight to the square. He saw the exact moment Luffy felt it too, but she held on tight to her emotions. The only clue he had that she’d felt anything at all was in the clenching of her jaws and the slight tightening of the skin around her eyes. Her Haki flared for a single moment before she wrestled it under control.

They walked on.

The square was finally in their sights now. Soldiers gathered there stirred when they were spotted. A horn blared somewhere, signalling their arrival and Zoro scanned the crowds, absently taking in all the threats they would face: the three admirals on their chairs (and was that Luffy’s grandpa they had all chained up in front of them?), some of the Shichibukai were standing to the side, and on the highest seat, Akainu, that fucking son of a bitch.

He snarled, unconsciously, before he bit his lips and settled down.

He knew he would lose all semblance of control once he looked up the tower, up the execution platform, yet he slowly lifted his eyes, heart thudding.

Ace. He was tugged forward for half a step, unconscious, as if she held a leash to the core of his very soul. All that mustered stoicism on his face fell away, and his expression crumpled. His eyes watered.

Even from so far away, she looked so scared, but Zoro could see the way she was biting her lips; she was trying to be brave and he felt a flash of pride. That damn collar around her neck, why hadn’t they taken it off? What the hell can a fucking child do? The skin beneath it was so red Zoro could still see the welts from all the way where he was. And the coat she wore, her safety blanket, it was still draped around her, and Zoro wondered if this was done deliberately, as part of the symbolism too. It was oversize, but…had she always looked so small in it?

Ace had spotted them, and it was like dawn had broken. She cried then, and Zoro almost ran straight to her when he saw, from where he was standing, Ace calling out to them. Her lips formed the words that shook him down to his core: _Papa!_

Zoro with all the discipline ingrained in himself throughout a lifetime of swords training, held on. He held on with all his might. He blinked away the beginnings of tears and forced himself to tear his eyes away from Ace, to look at the Marines behind her.

And those two guards on the platform, holding massive blades, they must be there to –

Zoro saw red. He shook with howling rage.

Static crackled loudly, and Zoro snapped his attention to Akainu, glowering for all he was worth. His hands trembled for the hilts of his swords, but not – not yet. _Not_ yet.

“So, have you come to give yourselves up?” Akainu asked into his den-den mushi. His face was twisted into an ugly sneer.

Just hearing his voice made his hair stand up to an end, and for Luffy, that must have rankled on to the last of her self-control. Her Haki simmered beneath her skin and standing next to her felt like being on an open field during a lightning storm, exhilarating and dangerous.

Luffy looked up, and her eyes – Zoro had known her for years now, but he’d never seen her like this – That look on her face, all the lines on her, down to the way her feet were angled, all of it promised a painfully bloody retribution for everyone on that square that day. Her eyes glinted with a light that was at once fearsome and terrifyingly, irreverently wrathful. Her lips were pulled back, teeth bared in an animalistic snarl.

She stepped forward. Her eyes weren’t on Akainu, but on the two threatening blades hovering over their daughter almost half a mile away, so high up. Luffy snapped her flashing eyes to the threat surrounding Ace, and in an act that was only possible with flawless control, backed up by power and will so strong it bordered on inhuman; she unleashed a swelling wave of Haki, concentrated the blast on the two executioners on the platform, the epicentre of the tsunami let loose.

The two unfortunate executioners crumpled immediately, along with the ring of innermost defence surrounding the platform, until the only ones in the immediate area around Ace were the three admirals, Luffy’s grandpa and the fleet-admiral.

And they’d been arrogant enough to want to stage this in an open square, with no scaffolding attaching the platform to the nearest building. They wouldn’t be able to get replacement executioners anytime soon.

Akainu spluttered with rage and shock. Before he could get a hold of himself, the rest of the Strawhats and their thousands of allies fell from the sky one by one, brought in by Bubble Flying Ships built from Franky’s blueprints and hidden by Nami’s clouds.

As their allies landed around them, as their numbers grew and grew, as the Marines soldiers yelled their surprise and dismay at their formation so easily broken, Luffy looked up to Akainu from under the tattered brim of her strawhat. Ghostly, cold light of will-o'-the-wisps flickered in her depthless eyes.

“No,” she said simply. Her voice carried over the square and their boisterous allies and over all the mountains and across the seas; a terrible warning, a reckoning answered. “We’re here to take back _our daughter._ ”

Slowly, deliberately, as the world held its breath, Luffy pressed her strawhat to her head. “You’ll _die_ today, Akainu,” she promised, and before that bastard could even say anything in response, Luffy _charged_.

Zoro followed her, one step behind as always, to guard her back.

 


	19. quintessence of dust

In the middle of the chaos all around him, Zoro only paid attention to two things: Luffy fighting bloody-knuckled in front of him, and Ace’s face up above, pale and scared and still out of reach.

 _Papa’ll be there soon,_ he thought desperately; willed for her to know, to believe.

As soon as they’d arrived, his crew had surrounded their captain protectively, picking stray enemies off so she could race on ahead. A blade closed in on to Zoro while he was knocking away a blow aimed at Luffy’s back, but he didn’t even bother looking at his attacker; Sanji kicked him away before Zoro could turn, as he knew he would. As they raced on, Luffy suddenly looked back to him for a single second and Zoro understood what she wanted immediately. He crouched down to let her whip her elongated leg over his head, and a Marine aiming his gun at Robin some ways behind was taken out. Beside them, Franky thundered by in his tank that he had managed to land onto the square with the clever use of a parachute and some rockets. He and Usopp looked like they were actually having a blast shooting at anyone who got too near to Luffy.

Their allies were an uncontainable force wreaking havoc anywhere he looked. Zoro guessed anyone crazy enough to pledge themselves to Luffy would fight this way; with undisguised glee and just the bit sadistic.

Jimbei and his Sun Pirates, despite not doing battle on the sea, were still very much a force to reckon with. Above them, Sabo flew by in a vortex of heat, untouchable. The appearance of the number two of the Revolutionary Army had not helped with their enemy’s morale at all.

Behind him, a loud boom rang out, and the ground shook for a while. Zoro spared a moment to glance back, to see that a giant among their allies (oh yea, they had giants too, Zoro kinda forgot) had the foresight to seal the main entrance to the square with a random house he had picked up.

Nowhere for their enemies to run now.

Nami was on Zeus again. From her high vantage point, safe from harm, she called back the cloud cover she had conjured to reveal an army of flying ships suspended from bubbles. With the clouds gone, they could now fire at the Marines in the square. The soldiers around them panicked, and though their rigorous training demanded that they stayed in their formation, it was inevitable that such a sight would cause plenty of them to break rank and run.

 _That’s what you get_ , Zoro thought vehemently. The Marines had no one to blame but themselves. They got too cocky with what they thought was an invaluable hostage in their hands and didn’t bother to plan beyond the bounds of ‘kill their daughter if they don’t surrender’. Did they think they would risk Ace’s life so easily to bet on luck alone?

They hadn’t even gathered all of the Shichibukai for them, and two out of the three they did summon wouldn’t fight all out against Luffy: the Snake Empress would die before harming a hair on Luffy’s head, and sure enough, it was soon plain to see that she was fighting on their side instead of the Marines; she wasn’t even bothering to hide it anymore.

The other one was that – that clown guy the met all the way back in East Blue. Zoro wasn’t too worried about him. He actually looked kinda scared to find himself in a conflict of this scale and all he’d done since the fighting had begun was just stand at a corner and pretending to direct his underlings.

The third, however…

Even from where he was at the other end of the battlefield, Zoro could tell that Hawk-eye Mihawk, the Greatest Swordsman in the World, was keeping an eye on him and his captain. Zoro ignored him for now; he was just a distraction he couldn’t afford at this moment.

As Luffy ran ahead to their daughter, jumping over foes and knocking away those in her path, not even bothering to engage or even look at who was coming at her, Zoro sprinted after her with his swords.

 

From where Ace was, she could see all the fighting taking place. Mama and Papa were steadily making their way here, and Ace was relieved to see that they weren’t hurt. They just looked super angry. The two guards behind her, the only ones with her on the platform, had both fainted. She moved carefully towards one of them and they didn’t even move. Their strange big white sword things were clattered to the wooden floor.

They hadn’t chained her up in the end, so she could still move. Ace cast furtive eyes at everyone down there, and she could see that no one was paying any particular attention to her. Red Shirt was busy looking at the fighting from his high seat, and so were the three Marines sitting below him in a row. She sneaked a glance at the ladders that led down to the square.

She…she could. Right now. Just climb down and run.

Ace gathered up her courage, and as quickly and silently as she could, she climbed, rung by rung. Just like – just like the ladder when getting off _Sunny._

She must have been halfway down when the metal ladder glowed red hot. She yelped, but tried to hold on, she was almost there –

Red Shirt appeared at the bottom of the ladder, and he looked so mad. He plucked her off the ladder and glared. He didn’t even say a word to her, just held her up by the back of her coat. His hand was so hot it burnt a hole straight through the back and his scorching heat touched her skin. Ace struggled in pain as her coat smoked. She keened.

“Let her go, Sakazuki!” Old guy shouted from where he was, kneeling in front of the platform, and Ace teared up again when she saw that she had been so close, so close to getting away. Red Shirt took one last look at her, like she was a worm or something, and flung her back up onto the platform.

Ace landed badly, and she couldn’t help the cry of pain that left her lips. She rolled to sit when she was back up there, pressed a hand to her back, and it came away shaking and sticky with blood. Her hands were burnt too from the ladder. She gulped and tried to ignore the pain. When she looked back to the fight, when she tried to see where Mama and Papa were, her eyes swept over the rooftops. The Bad Man with one eye was still there, still watching. He looked straight at her before glancing away.

Ace sat back down, hugging her knees to herself, heart thudding, and continued to wait.

 

This was turning into an exercise in endurance.

They were making their way halfway through the Marine’s forces now, and even Zoro was starting to grow weary. It wasn’t that these men were difficult opponents, there were just simply too many of them.

When they drew this plan, they knew they would be outnumbered. Luffy had more than five-thousand men, but for this battle, the Marines had mobilized almost the entirety of their forces, or all that could fit on this island. There were more waiting on their ships surrounding the island, of course. The giants on their side had done their best to block any entrances into the square so the Marine’s reinforcements couldn’t get through, but Zoro had a feeling it wouldn’t be enough.

The Marines had giants on their side too, and they had organised enough to execute a plan. They seemed to have decided that their biggest problem were the airships circling above, and one of them drew inspiration from their giant’s idea, and they started picking up houses surrounding the square and straight chucked them at their airships.

The first airship went down to the gasps of their allies on the ground. It burst into flames, whirling out of control, before it crashed somewhere beyond the square.

The other airships saw this and started to maneuverer away. But this meant that they were kept busy avoiding flying houses, and the Strawhats and their allies were robbed of their cover from the air, their biggest asset in this fight.

Zoro swore, tried not to think about it, just concentrate on fighting on the ground. They were nearing the end of the Marine’s formation now, and their opponents were getting stronger. The Marines had stationed stronger personnel – commodores and rear admirals and vice-admirals – nearer to the platform, so they could easily pick apart Strawhat allies who had already been exhausted by fighting their way into the middle of the square.

 Zoro kept his sights on Luffy’s back. Ace’s presence was a constant beacon on his senses.

The opponents he faced now were noticeably more skilled. He would usually be pleased by this, but he had. No. Time. These assholes were keeping him away from his daughter, and all they brought Zoro now was frustration.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zoro spotted a sword pointed at him and he jumped back just in time.

That blade…it was pure white. Zoro’s eyes narrowed in unease.

The wielder of the sword smirked at his indecision before charging in again. Zoro held up Shuusui to block, and in the same movement, snapped Wado Ichiomnji forward to cut him down while he was distracted.

Zoro…couldn’t let that blade touch him. He looked up, panting, and noticed with dread that around him, all of the Marines from this point onward to the platform, were holding swords made of that strange white stone.

Before anything could happen though, a flash of pain at the edge of his senses made him snap his head to the execution platform, just in time to see Akainu _throw his daughter_.

Zoro _seethed._ His grip on his swords turned white-knuckled and he could see Luffy in front of him still for the fraction of a second; she’d seen it too.

“Akainu!” she screamed.

Zoro turned his blazing eyes to the Marines around him, with their strange weapons. They had started hesitating at the look on his face. Zoro was going to _slaughter_ Akainu, but first.

He set Wado Ichimoji’s hilt tighter between his teeth and attacked.

 

“Get the replacement executioners,” the fleet-admiral growled when he got back to his seat.

Coby looked up at him, bewildered. _How?_ “There’s no way for replacements to make it up to the platform, sir,” he said. He figured he should still try reasoning, even though the glint in the fleet-admiral’s eyes looked…particularly unstable at the moment. “The platform is an independent structure and for them to get here, they’d have to get through all the fighting.” All around them, Marine soldiers, or what was left of their innermost defence was trying their best to hold the line so their opponents couldn’t get to the girl. Bullets and fists and blades occupied every inch of the square, already starting to splatter with blood. The loud sounds of battles made it necessary to near-yell so they could hear each other. No one could make through that bloodbath unscathed.

A bitter taste sat in the base of Coby’s throat at that, at the thought that they were actually stopping a child’s family from coming to get her. Coby knew his colleagues felt the same way too; Issho-san especially had never made it a secret how much disdain he held for their immediate superior.

Logic had never been appealing to those wrought with emotions though, and even as inexperienced as Coby was, he knew that their fleet-admiral, despite how methodical he liked to appear, had never…had a head cool enough to think things through. Why else would he chose Loguetown over a fortified bastion like New Marineford?

Fleet-admiral Sakazuki look incensed for a while, as if Coby had defied him instead of providing a valid counterargument to his order. Garp-san laughed at their feet, at the look on the fleet-admiral’s face.

You could see the wheels in the fleet-admiral’s head turning, steering his thoughts into an unpleasant direction. “Then, I guess I’ll have to kill the girl myself,” he said slowly.

Coby couldn’t believe his ears. “You…you can’t, sir,” he protested, trying to keep the horror from his voice. “There are cameras streaming the event to Saboady. If you do that, if the world witnesses you killing a child –“

The fleet-admiral flashed his eyes at him, and Coby’s words fell away. Those…were not the eyes of a measured leader of the Marines; they belonged better on the face of a vindictive madman.

Coby wondered how a man made of lava could have eyes so cold.

He knew then, that there would be no persuading him anymore. Coby remembered that day back on Marineford, how he was intent on hunting down the pirates even after their retreat, the lives of the men under him the fleet-admiral had been willing to throw away, all because he wouldn’t let go of his prey. A mad, untrained dog.

Even Garp-san and his two colleagues beside him had stilled at his words. Issho-san stood up, and though he spoke in an even tone, Coby could tell he was filled with fury. “Those are dangerous words, Sakazuki,” he said. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you had just suggested slaying a child in cold blood, with no respect to the due process.”

The fleet-admiral actually snarled. He looked almost unhinged. “Silence, Fujitora,” he warned, mad glint in his eyes. “I am the highest authority here. _I_ get to decide what is due process.” At those words, Coby grew cold.

He had to make a stand now.

“No,” he said. Blood rushed in his ears, and Coby knew this had been a long time coming. He joined the Marines an idealistic boy, without knowing the corruption rotting the whole establishment. This was simply the last straw, the thought that if he didn’t speak now, he would be complicit in the murder of a child, of Luffy-san’s daughter. He would _not_ allow that to happen.

“I won’t let you do it,” he said, glaring at the shocked face of Akainu.

Coby took out his key, and before anyone could do anything, he freed Garp-san from his chains.

 

The reason Zoro had set out to sea was to seek strength beyond what his tiny village could offer, and for the most part, he did. There were monsters out there he couldn’t have imagined, heights he never thought possible for a human to obtain if he hadn’t left. He fought on, with Luffy, with their crew, their family, and his strength had been enough for a little while to keep them safe. To keep them sailing towards their dreams and what lied forever beyond.

Then came Kuma, Saboady, the War; all of it in consecution. The single inciting reason for all of those, if you asked Zoro, was his weakness.

He wasn’t strong enough.

He spent two years on Kuraigana, stayed away even though every part of him ached for Luffy, who was hurting, who needed him. He stayed away for two years, twenty-four months, seven hundred and thirty days, seventeen thousand five hundred and twenty hours, sixty-three million seventy-two thousand seconds, and he had never felt the passage of time more keenly. He never knew he could long for someone so painfully, or hurt for them even though they were an ocean away. There were times when he had to kill the impulse to swim out to where she was, when he looked out to a sea as black as night.

So, he trained and trained and trained. Got himself cut open every day, fought steel and infection and exhaustion and declined to sleep because time spent in bed was time wasted that could be used to cultivate strength and ate only what was necessary to keep. Fighting. All of it, so he would never be weak and useless to the ones he loved ever again.

What was the use of all that? When his daughter was thrown bodily in front of him and _he couldn’t do jack-shit?_

Useless. He was still so useless. Zoro _burned_ with it.

He’d promised Ace the moon and the stars and everything in between and the world for her on a silver platter, all for her taking and that Zoro would – _“Papa will always come for you.” “Papa will scare everything away.” “Papa will keep you safe.”_ The taste of an oath between his teeth was ashen like guilt, impotence.

Zoro didn’t deserve anything.

He glowered as he cut down the enemies still blocking their way. His entire being at that very moment was torn down to only two parts: his rage, both at his enemies and at his own weakness, and fear.

This…was fighting like Zoro had never done before. Even in Enies Lobby, or Fishmen Island the first time didn’t seem to have such an inexhaustible supply of opponents, but then again, maybe they didn’t seem so endless because he wasn’t burning with the need to get to what was on the other side.

Luffy was by his side, and Zoro could feel her muscle stretch, stretch, s _tretch_ with every punch. And still it wasn’t enough to close the gap.

The chaos around him was confusing and sometimes Zoro would turn around to block a strike just to get distracted by someone else closing in and for a while he’d lose sight of which direction he was supposed to go; the sounds and clashes, the sweat in his eyes, how his breath came up in short pants. His muscles begged him to slow down. Weak. He was still so weak.

A sudden loud blast arrested his attention to the platform and Zoro’s heart jumped to his throat when he saw Akainu clashing with Luffy’s grandpa and their new admiral at its base, barely a few feet from where Ace was. The other two admirals – Zoro recognised Fujitora but he didn’t know the other one – was braced to engage, but they were still standing to the side at the moment.

Ace – Ace was too close to that! She could be stepped on like an ant in a fight amongst these titans. Zoro made one last swipe to clear the ground around them, to make room for he and Luffy so they could wade on. He reached out to where Ace was, panic and fear and bile was all that he could feel, he _reached_ and he could have better chance catching a star. Still. _Too. FAR!_

Luffy was as shocked as he was. She bit into her own arm hard enough to draw blood. Steam billowed out from where she was standing, startling the soldiers around her, and when the fog cleared, she was in Gear Forth.

She was about to jump into the fray when Mihawk sauntered up to them. In his right arm, Yoru was already dripping with blood.

The soldiers beside him parted for him because even they know this was a fight they would not want to get near.

Luffy turned her burning eyes, ringed with blackened Haki, to Zoro, and he gave a sharp nod. “Go!” he shouted hoarsely, and she bounded off.

Zoro turned to Mihawk, trembling. This was not how he wanted to have this duel. He wanted to get to Ace and Mihawk, right now, was _just in the way_.

When he got close enough, Mihawk paused to consider him, head tilted to one side. He raised his famed black blade to his shoulder, the final peak Zoro had to cross, what he had worked his whole life for. Zoro snarled at him, at this master who taught him his craft.

Mihawk was too composed to sigh, but what he said next gave the impression of it. “Perona wouldn’t stop whining about how you kept news of your daughter from us,” he told him, as if disappointed.

Zoro’s mind came up blank. His daughter’s life was at stake and he wanted to make small talk!?

“Do you wanna _fucking fight or not!?”_ he snarled, so unbalanced that he was.

Mihawk just continued staring at him. Two years under his tutelage and Zoro was no closer to deciphering his mood. A bead of sweat rolled down his throat.

“No. I don’t believe I do,” Mihawk finally said, and he stepped aside as Zoro recoiled with shock. “Go, Roronoa Zoro. Duel, we shall, when your daughter is safely back with you, and when you are in a state more suited.”

Zoro didn’t even think for a second. He didn’t hesitate snatching up what Mihawk was offering, this small bit of mercy, and ran ahead without looking back.

 

Once Garp-san’s cuffs clattered to the ground, Coby could feel the balance of the situation shifting entirely. The fleet-admiral was so enraged; bits of molten rock was dripping off of him, as if he had lost control of his Fruit power. His eyes were bulging in disbelief and it was almost with hatred when he looked at Coby.

“ _You,”_ he bit out, but Coby stood his ground, undaunted.

Garp-san stood to his full height behind him, casting a looming shadow over the fleet-admiral’s face. Coby knew him well enough that he’d be raring up to a fight. They stared down to this hulking man in front of him, a hobbling old man weakened by imprisonment and a boy too young for his post, yet Coby felt no fear at all, or conflict, as he was half expecting, only righteous fury.

This man would _not_ touch the little girl.

Akainu raised his molten fist, Coby settled into his stance, Garp-san ready behind him –

Issho-san raised his walking stick, and an unbearable weight dropped Akainu on his knees before he could make a move. With great effort, Akainu turned to look at him, “You too, Issho?” he said through grit teeth.

“We cannot afford to fight amongst ourselves when there is a war raging around us,” Issho-san said, though Coby thought his actions belied where he truly sided, because why had he locked down only the fleet-admiral but not Coby, who’d committed an act of treason or Garp-san, the freed convict? “Come,” he continued. “Shall we talk this out? Maybe if you give you our word you won’t harm the girl, we need not fight.”

Akainu’s eyes glowed with rage, and he stood up shakily, despite Issho-san’s effort to contain him. “Bullshit,” he spat. “Traitors! The lot of you! I’ll see you all executed for this. And you?” he snarled at Ryokugyu-san. “Where do you stand?”

Ryokugyu-san brought up his hands. “Maa, I’m too lazy for this. I’d rather stay out of this for now.” He smirked.

Rage wrought itself on every line of Akainu’s face, and his whole posture hardened with determination. “Fine, then,” he growled. “I’ll do this myself.”

Then Luffy-san landed in their midst.

“Luffy-san!” Coby cried out. Luffy-san looked back at them, and she looked other-worldly at that moment, blackened Haki like warpaint throughout her enlarged form, spewing steam.

“Coby?” she asked, confused for a moment. “Did you free Gramps?”

Garp-san guffawed. “Aye, guess I raised the brat, right, eh?” But then he sobered up, looking at Luffy-san with regret in his eyes. “I’ll help you this time, brat. This bastard won’t lay a hand on my family ever again.”

Luffy-san’s eyes softened for a second. She didn’t answer him, just turned back to Akainu in front of them, snarled.

With Luffy-san, Garp-san, Issho-san and himself, even Coby, cautious as he was, didn’t think the fleet-admiral stood a chance.

And he must have thought so, too. Coby could see him thoughts racing, looking for a way out. His eyes finally settled on Garp-san, the weakest of them at the moment. He ignored all of them who were closer, and Coby could only look on in helpless horror as he aimed a precise blast at Garp-san, who was standing some ways behind.

Garp-san doubled over, smoking and on fire. Ishho-san was on Akainu immediately, while Luffy-san’s form dissipated, either from shock or –

Coby didn’t dare take his eyes off Akainu, even when Luffy-san ran over to Garp-san. “Gramps!” she called as she crouched over him.

Her back was to Akainu. Coby’s eyes widened. He raced forward, fist raised, but he missed Akainu by just a breath –

“STAY AWAY FROM MY LITTLE SISTER!!”

A blast of swirling fire, anger personified, and Akainu, despite the disbalance between their Fruit powers, was knocked back to his feet. He planted his feet onto the ground to stabilise himself, and when he did, he glowered up at the number two of the Revolutionary Army.

“Sabo,” Luffy-san called gratefully. Coby was relieved to hear Garp-san coughing behind them. He was still alive, at least, and it hadn’t been a direct physical hit. Coby dared to hope that he was fine. He would be. Garp-san was invincible.

Luffy-san stood up and came back to their ranks, wrathful. Coby felt the hair on his arms standing up and he realised she must be leaking Haki. Sabo spared her a smile before turning his fury to the fleet-admiral.

With their numbers fortified further, with Ishho-san standing calmly by, walking stick in hands, Sabo and Luffy-san in their stances and identical look of rage on their faces, Coby standing guard over Garp-san, fists still ready, Akainu must have realised then, that this was a fight he couldn’t win.

His eyes flickered towards the platform for a second instead. When he looked back at them, his eyes were hard as stones, just as emotionless. “Damn you all,” was all he said, before he flew up, straight to Luffy-san’s little girl.

 

Once he left Mihawk, Zoro could see that the platform wasn’t too far away anymore. And the Marines that stood between him and Ace were only a few.

His heart skipped a beat. He commanded his aching body to run, just a few steps _more._

He took down the last of the soldiers in his way and he could see that Luffy and the admirals were standing off with Akainu some ways away. Even her brother was there. Zoro made to join them before he realised a crucial fact with a start.

 _No one_ was guarding Ace.

He gave one last look at Luffy, at Akainu, and the people surrounding her; they were allies, all of them. She would…she would be fine. He had faith in her. She would win for them, and Zoro had another role to play at this moment.

Zoro didn’t encounter much resistance on his way to the platform. It was almost with disbelief that he put his hand on the rung of the ladder, then a foot, and he began to climb.

The whole platform shook occasionally from the fight taking place near its base, but Zoro climbed on, as fast as he could _, almost there_ – 

The last rung. Zoro stepped onto the top of the platform.  

Ace whirled around, and Zoro forced himself to take a step forward, because even his knees were shaking. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of him, and as they rolled down, they mingled with the blood and mud on her face and she looked like such a mess and why was she so thin and her coat was torn, she must be so upset by that, but nevermind, because they would find someone to fix it for her and everything was so blurry all of a sudden–

“Papa,” she breathed. She reached out to him, and Zoro knelt down, reverently, trembling arms held out –

“ACE!!” Luffy screamed.

A rush of air, Zoro looked up, and saw Akainu flying towards them.

 

Wasn’t it funny? How time would stretch and expand and condense sometimes, like it was something physical you could touch; as if it was a looking glass, or the rush of blood in your head.

Time waited for no one.

In the last moments of Zoro’s life, it was as if everything was compressed into five seconds. He could see all of the world and beyond and he could tell Luffy now, how big was the world. He heard everything, felt everything, and he had never felt so calm. As if life had been a storm within him, and by it approaching its end, everything, too, died down.

 _Five_.

Zoro saw Akainu rocketing towards them, the sound of his boots as it stepped onto the platform, just a breath for Zoro to draw Shuusui and Sandai Kitetsu, a _Shing!_ The contempt in Akainu’s glare, he picked up a naginata from the fallen guard beside Ace, coated its white blade with flowing magma, fire blooming along its edges. Zoro brought his swords up to block the strike, to protect the most precious child in the world, and then how the white blade went through his brothers as if they were made of glass. The shattered blades of Sandai Kitetsu and Shuusui fell like diamonds, fallen stars reflecting all the light in the world.

_Four._

Zoro made a decision, resolve like blood and will and love within him. He scooped Ace up in his arms, and no burden was as sweet or unimaginable as your child in your arms, and Akainu was so close, so close this threat, this monster, Zoro felt the heat from him, saw their reflection in his eyes, like they were mirrors, Ace’s eyes frightened mirrors of his own, green and glittering like pretty emeralds. He threw Ace, threw her up so she could touch the clouds and she was suspended in the air for a while and _“Swing me higher, Papa!”_ and Luffy, sweet-eyed, a King yet crowned and _what I wouldn’t do for you_ , caught Ace in her arms.

_Three._

Zoro could see the sea from here. The sea was vast and majestic and unbound and home like Luffy was home to him and freedom was a constant reality she made him feel. The sound of seagulls and waves and the breeze that stirred the air from this high up and all this fighting down there, were the Marines really willing to kill a little girl for who her parents were? And oh, he could see Death now, he was on a rooftop, staring straight at him with an eye exchanged for a life, and Zoro didn’t feel fear. Calm was all he was, like the cloudless sky that day on Raftel.

_Two._

Luffy and Ace looking up at him, so afraid and already grieving. And he could feel a pang of regret, because they would cry for him and he didn’t want them to cry, but he wanted them to live most of all because Luffy was right and _you don’t get second chances if you’re dead_ and he wanted Luffy to be Pirate King and Ace to learn about swords and he would have gotten her all the swords she wanted in the world because he loved her so much. They were staring still with horror at Zoro and they were the two people he loved most in the world and if he lived for them it was a life well-lived but he didn’t want them to be sad, so he smiled at them from up here, Luffy’s smile that day in Loguetown, they were so young, so so young and scars were marks of lessons learned and he looked down at them, smiling, and he breathed out.

“Sorry.”

_One_

A white naginata blade protruded flaming from the front of his chest. Agony, pain like no other, but there was no regret. A smile. _Sorry._

Then, nothing.

**~~End of Part IV~~ **

**End**


	20. a

_Ace was maybe two or three. All Zoro could remember was her being past the toddling stage and was beginning to express herself really well. She’d started calling him ‘Papa’ recently, and damn if it wasn’t a stupid thing to feel proud of, but he was. He burst with it every time Ace said it; and she did with so much adoration too, as if he could do no wrong in her eyes._

_It was one of those rare days when they were in town alone. He forgot where Luffy had gone, but she wasn’t with them for some reason. Ace ran ahead along the beach, picking up seashells and shiny rocks. She would run back to show him when she found something she thought was truly extraordinary, like a hermit crab._

_Zoro took advantage of the peace to space out for a while. When he heard Ace cry out in alarm, his head whipped to where she was backing up slowly from a big mangy dog._

_Snarling, Zoro stalked up to the dog. It cowered when it saw Zoro approaching and eventually, it turned back to where it came from with its tail between its legs._

  _Zoro picked Ace up, wiped away her fearful tears. “Hey, hey, it’s alright,” he soothed. “Papa’s here.”_

_Once Ace was calm, she pointed to the dog. It was still watching them warily from the side. “Dog’s scar’d o’ Papa?” she asked._

_Zoro rocked her a bit, “Yea, it’s scared of me.” He snarled at it again for good measure, causing it to yelp and run away. Ace giggled._

_“See? You don’t need to be afraid of anythin’, Ace, ‘cause Papa’ll scare ‘em all away for you, okay?”_

_Ace looked at him in awe, and she held that little morsel of knowledge Zoro had offered her so carefully, as if it was the single truth in the universe. She nodded and struggled to get down now that the dog was gone, to find other treasures buried in the sand, anything that struck her fancy, secure in the wisdom that Papa would make the world safe for her._


	21. life

_Merry was a fine ship, and they were lucky to have her. They had rooms now, which was mind-boggling after a month in that shit dinghy Luffy brought with her. Even after Nami joined, she wouldn’t let pirates on her boat, so the two of them had been sleeping pressed against each other for the past month._

_Though…it was stupid. Now that they had their own hammock, Zoro found he was missing her warmth. He frowned at himself. He was_ not _missing her. That would be ridiculous. She wasn’t even ten feet away most of the time._

_Whatever. Zoro closed his eyes, and forced himself to concentrate on meditating._

_A weight dropped itself unceremoniously onto his lap and all the air in Zoro was forced out in a loud ‘Oomph!’._

_He opened his eyes to glare. Luffy just grinned at him, unrepentant. She was using him like a mattress again._

_“Whacha doin’?” she asked._

_“I’m on watch, idiot,” he replied gruffly, and maybe didn’t push Luffy out of his space like he could. When Luffy didn’t budge, Zoro just leaned back, his arms supporting behind him, so he could look up at the stars._

_Luffy hummed. “Merry’s great, isn’t she?”_

_“Yea.”_

_“Usopp said she could bring us anywhere! I wanna go to the Grand Line soon!”_

_“Sure.”_

_“Where d’ya wanna go?”_

_The stars glinted above, uncaring and eternal. Zoro reached a hand towards them as Luffy waited patiently for his answer. He traced the Dragon of the East, the brightest constellation in the sky right now, and reminded himself about promises and names echoing so far and wide even the stars would hear them in the heavens. “The Grand Line too,” he said finally. “That’s where ‘he’ is.”_

_Luffy considered this and nodded to herself, as if it made perfect sense. “And after that, we can sail the whole world if we wanna!”_

_She looked at him now, and her dark eyes were filled with wonder and excitement and the entirety of the universe and beyond. It robbed Zoro of his speech for a moment, at the thought that they’d still be sailing together after exploring the most dangerous sea in the world, beyond the end of their dreams. With her eyes, Luffy was promising him forever._

_“Say,” Luffy said, grin as wide as the sun. “How big do you think the world is, Zoro?”_

_…Zoro didn’t know. He had no idea; he’d never left even East Blue, the weakest of all oceans, and he was already chaffing at the restraints. But at this moment as he looked into Luffy’s eyes, he was suddenly transported to a sea where titans fell mountains, where he would learn to cut even steel, where broken promises taste like ash between his teeth. Fate, as immortal as stardust. A veil of light in a kingdom of gold._

_A baby born, emeralds in its eyes._

_Zoro blinked, and the moment was gone. It was just Luffy smiling eagerly in his lap. And no matter how big the world was, it could never hope to contain her, this girl who was freedom personified, she who would be King._

_Zoro tried to hide how dry his mouth was. “Who knows,” he said._


	22. well-

_The blackness covered him like a blanket, or wool in front of his eyes. Zoro frowned as he tried to remember where he was and why he was there. A warm weight was pressed against his side, someone’s breath gentle against his skin. Everything ached._

_With sheer strength of his will, as if he was lifting mountains, Zoro peeled his lids slowly open. He was in a corner of a ruined hall or some sort. Random pirates snored on in piles. The remnant of a party was strewn amongst them._

_Luffy was sleeping beside him, curled like a cat. She had a hand on his chest like she was scared of letting go._

_Zoro’s mind blanked, then he was accosted by the memories of before – Kuma, the explosion, a desperate bargain made. He tensed involuntarily, and looked down at Luffy, whose face was taut with worry. It seemed Kuma kept the end of his deal. All of her pain taken in, in exchange for her life._

_Luffy must have sensed his thoughts. She stirred awake now as Zoro watched. She sat up groggily. When she saw that Zoro was up, all her sleepiness fell away._

_“Zoro,” she whispered, smiling in relief. Zoro smiled back too, though his limbs still felt too weak and pain still throbbed deep within his bones. Luffy was alive. That was all that mattered._

_She leaned down now to press her nose against his. Her quiet giggles sounded almost delirious; she must have been so worried. Regret washed through him._

_“How long was I out?” he croaked._

_Luffy traced the edge of his bandages with her fingers. “A few days,” she said lightly. Her eyes belied her though, and Zoro could see how tense she was still._

_“I scared you,” Zoro realised. Luffy shook her head._

_“I knew you’d come back,” she said, smile turning shaky. She leaned closer now, until her lashes brushed his face, pressed a kiss to the angle of his jaw._

_Zoro sighed. He tried to close his arms around her, but the moment he raised his hand, pain shot up from his fingertips to his spine. He winced._

_Luffy noticed. She started to move away to get Chopper, but Zoro…couldn’t bear it at the moment, to be apart from her, not when she had almost been lost forever to him just a few days prior._

_So he pleaded. “Stay,” he said. When Luffy turned back to look at him, uncertain, he added, “Please?”_

_Her face softened, and she lied back down. She put her hand back where it was, over his bursting heart, and Zoro thought at that moment, as the night wind howled around them through the open roof, her pain still fresh in his blood, Luffy still alive and whole, this girl he…might be a little in love with, and he thought. What he wouldn’t do._

_For her._


	23. lived

_Zoro frowned in his sleep as he reached out to where Luffy’s missing warmth was. He sat up blearily when his hands met nothing, to see that Ace was missing from her cot too._

_He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to wake himself up. They were…on the deck, he could feel. What were they doing up so early? The sun was barely up yet._

_Still sleep-mused, Zoro dressed as if in a haze and went out to find them. When he stepped outside, the freezing cold shocked him. His breaths came out in misty puffs._

_Zoro shivered. He hopped back into the room quickly for the blanket before walking up to Sunny’s head, where Luffy was sitting with Ace in her arms, looking at the sea. He frowned when he saw them._

_“Why didn’t you get a coat or something?” Luffy was still in her sleep clothes, that old shirt of his that didn’t fit anymore, worn thin with age, and just some shorts. She’d catch her death out here. Ace had that red coat around her at least, and she wasn’t complaining yet. Now that Zoro was close enough, he could see that she was actually asleep. He probably shouldn’t be that surprised anymore – they were beginning to learn that she was a really easy baby._

_Luffy looked up at him, cheeks pink. “Eh? But I ain’t cold,” she said, right before she sneezed her head off._

_Zoro snorted. He sat down and spread out his arms in invitation, and Luffy crawled into his lap without preamble. Her skin was icy._

_“You’re an idiot,” Zoro informed her, even as he tried to rub some warmth into her arms. He closed the blanket around the three of them like a tent._

_Luffy sighed in contentment and snuggled deeper into his chest. Ace was starting to stir awake._

_Zoro smiled down at the little bundle. “Morning, Baby,” he said – he had never cooed, despite what Usopp claimed – and Ace turned her face to the sound of his voice._

_So Chopper had told them that babies a week old didn’t see too well, and they were not developed enough (too dumb) to recognize anyone yet, but Zoro could swear Ace lit up at the sight of him. He suspected he might be her favourite already; it was a thought he kept jealously to himself, because, you know, wouldn’t want to be accused of being a sap or anything. He stroked a finger against her cheeks and because she also had the most adorable button nose Zoro had ever seen, he couldn’t resist rubbing it too._

_When Zoro looked up, Luffy had a knowing grin on her face. He refused to acknowledge it. He distracted her by pulling her closer against him suddenly, causing her to squeak. Zoro smiled and nuzzled her shoulder, trying to warm the frozen tip of his nose. This just caused her to giggle and Zoro held fast even as she tried to wriggle away from his grasp._

_In the far off distance where the sea met the sky, the sun was rising. Its gentle rays cast a golden light over Luffy in his arms, haloing her sunshine smile. Ace blinked against it, disturbed. Zoro had had a week to look at her and he decided that she really did look like Luffy, especially when she did that nose thing. He was still amazed every time. Another secret sappy thought to keep close to his heart and never tell a soul._

_Zoro was just…really, really happy – well, maybe not exactly, because even ‘happy’ was too violent a word to describe the tender, content edge of what he was feeling right now. He didn’t know how else to word it, except that he felt…at peace, with the world._

_He closed his eyes, buried his face in Luffy’s hair, held the little bundle that was his daughter close, and he knew,_  knew _that_ _this was why life was worth living._


	24. The Part in between

**The Part in between**

(When he woke up, he was Roronoa Zoro.)

“How long are you gon’ sleep for?” a snotty voice said rather rudely.

Zoro groaned and brought a hand to his face. The ground beneath him was extremely uncomfortable, jagged points of something dug against his back; it was like lying on rubble. Still, it was dark out. Zoro assumed that it was still far too early to be awake. He tried to roll over, only for searing pain to lance through his chest.

A war. A burning white blade. _Luffy. Ace._

Zoro sat up, gasping. He clutched at the front of his chest where the pain was the worst. To his surprise, there was no gaping wound there. None of his swords were with him. He looked around in confusion.

“Where am I?”

“Where do you think?” said the same aggravating voice. Zoro turned to it.

His eyes widened with shock. “Kuina?”

Sure enough, the childhood friend who’d been dead for almost two decades stood there as smugly as she had in life. She looked exactly as he remembered. The edges of her short bob still brushed her chin. Her eyes were still the same, with the same seed of doubt buried deep within all the self-assuredness she put on to mask it.

Zoro guessed…

“I’m dead, aren’t I?” he laughed hollowly. He leaned forward to prop his arms on his knees. When he looked up, there were no stars, despite the infinite darkness around them. This was perhaps…what felt the most wrong about this whole thing. And he couldn’t smell the sea too; either the real thing, or just the faint trace of it, from Luffy’s skin. He’d never been this far from the sea before.

But he had no regrets. He did what he did so Ace could live. He would never regret that.

He turned his eyes instead to Kuina, who was frowning at him. “So, what now?”

She tilted her head, considered him for a while, before taking a seat beside him. Had she always been this short?

“Dunno,” she said casually. “Been staying here waiting to hear about you. I’ve never tried moving on before.”

Zoro’s heart twisted. Had she really –

He turned away, unable to face her. “Sorry,” he said eventually. “I didn’t become the Best. I swore for Wado Ichimonji to become the most famed blade in the world, and – and I failed.” He swallowed.

At this, Kuina’s frown turned fierce. Sensei’s etiquette lessons were drilled so deep into her that she didn’t smack him on the side of his head, though it looked like she wanted to. “Don’t be dumb,” she scolded. “What good would that be if Ace had died, huh?”

Zoro rounded on her in shock. “You know her?”

“’course,” she answered easily. Her smile turned devilish. “I know everything about you, moron.”

Zoro snorted, but he let the subject drop. He guessed there was no being torn over what wasn’t or what could have been anymore. There were no second chances in death, after all.

“You would’ve liked her,” he said quietly. “She…could become the Best, I think.”

Kuina stood up and dusted her pants off, and the familiarity of her actions after all these years startled Zoro. She used to do this too whenever she got up after sitting in that field behind the dojo. She turned to him and offered a hand.

“Well, shall we?” she asked.

Zoro took her hand quizzically. “Where to?” It looked the same in every direction. Never-ending dark.

Kuina had that condescending look on her face again, the one she wore whenever she knew something Zoro didn’t. “Beyond,” she said.

 

There was a river here, Zoro realised, though it was nothing like he had ever seen before. It was huge, for one thing, and if it hadn’t been rushing in one direction, Zoro could have mistaken it for the sea.

There also wasn’t a drop of water in it. What it contained was wispy and as insubstantial as smoke. If you listened clearly, you could hear voices from it.

“What’s that?” he asked Kuina.

Kuina tugged him away from it. They had been following the banks for a while now, but she wouldn’t let Zoro get near it.

“If you want to find out, you could jump into it,” she suggested brightly. Zoro took this as a cue not to touch it. He followed her obediently.

 

Another figure appeared to them after an eternity trudging on.

It was Portgas D. Ace.

He looked straight into Zoro’s eyes, appraising him, and Zoro didn’t dare turn away. He tried his best not to gulp.

“I’m taking him to the beyond,” Kuina told him.

Ace nodded, his eyes still on him. He stared at him for a long, long time, unreadable, until he finally said, “You make her happy.”

Zoro…wasn’t sure about that anymore. If the last thing he saw was any indication, Luffy would be – it still hurt to think that – that she’d be grieving by now. He knew she loved every member of their crew with an almost other-worldly ferocity, but it would be ignorant to deny that…that his death would hit her the worst. And he had died anyway, because he was useless.

His eyes burnt, but he refused to cry. No point now. “She named our daughter after you,” he said instead.

Ace’s face softened. He tilted down his hat, and Zoro was reminded of Sabo, but it was in his gentle smile that he saw Luffy.

“Thank you for looking after her,” Ace said sincerely. “After them.”

Zoro tried to find his voice. “I…I tried,” he croaked.

Ace looked at Kuina now. “I can’t cross yet, ‘cause I still wanna see Luffy become Pirate King, but I’ll follow you the rest of the way.”

Kuina just shrugged. “Sure, whatever.”

And Portgas D. Ace – Luffy’s brother, his daughter’s uncle – walked on his other side as they carried on.

 

No one was very chatty.

Zoro was reserved himself, but he had lived the last years of his life surrounded by some of the loudest people in existence, and the sea was rarely a quiet place. Even when no storm was stirring, the waves and the winds and the seagulls still filled every available space with noise and life.

And the absence of noise here, seemed to herald the terrifying barrenness of this place, too.

The only company they had was the disturbing voices from the river they were following. Zoro tried his best not to think what they were.

 

Kuina and Ace brought him to a bend in the river. Across it far away, Zoro saw a veil made of light. Waiting for them was the one being Zoro had been dreading and avoiding for years, but he felt nothing now.

Death looked at him and opened his arms. _Welcome home, o child of mine_ he said.

Zoro inclined his head. “I’m back.”

 

The longer Zoro was here, the more he remembered of his previous life, and with the memories came the reasons why he chose to leave in the first place.

He’d been lonely; and when he saw the companionship mortals offered each other, what even divinity couldn’t hope to touch, he’d left the moment he could to seek what could be his, he who made his own fate. Death…had never had the chance to experience what he did, because he was chained to this post, and looking at him now, Zoro couldn’t help but feel the stirrings of pity.

He thought…he understood Death a little now.

 _So you’ve returned, the prodigal son_ Death was saying. His disembodied voice didn’t allow for much intonation, but Zoro thought he sounded a bit smug. But envious, maybe even jealous.

_How have your journey served you, o child of mine? Did ye seeketh out that which can never be yours, as your mother did before ye?_

His pointed question jolted Zoro, and he was reminded of another vexation that used to consume him in his life prior.

“Who – who was she? My mother,” he asked now.

Death seemed blinded by the sudden change in subject. He was silent for a long while, but Zoro could be patient. He could remain unmoved for aeons in this realm, like Death.

 _She is in the realm of the mortals. She walks among what she is not, trying to be what she will never be_ Death said, and if Zoro didn’t know better, he would have thought he was avoiding the question.

“No,” he bit out. “ _Who_ was she?” Luffy was – is – a mother too. Did his think of him? Would she have gone the lengths Luffy would have traversed without a thought for Ace?

Death sighed at his obstinacy _She…is who mortals call ‘Dream’. Born from them she was, and to them she yearned to return._

He looked up at Zoro, knowing _And those she did bless, they carry upon them the name ‘D’; the mighty burden of her gift._

Oh. Zoro…didn’t know how he felt about this revelation. The family of ‘D’ – Luffy and Ace – blessed, or cursed, by his mother’s touch, were branded enemies of gods, those opposed to freedom. Little puzzle pieces of how the world worked were starting to make sense now.

Zoro nodded slowly. He guessed it didn’t really matter in the end.

“So, what now?” he asked.

Death’s lips quirked up in a tiny smile. _What? No threats this time, Roronoa Zoro? No bargains you wish to make?_

Zoro near snorted, “What else do I have left that you could possibly want? T’is too late anyway.”

Death considered him for such a long time that Zoro was starting to feel uncomfortable. He finally pointed a bony finger to that veil far away, across the massive river of souls. _Gaze upon there, Roronoa Zoro, and behold my parting gift to ye, as is your birth right._

Zoro remembered that veil; that gateway to the mortal realm from which he’d escaped. He remembered too, his Gift for precociousness. He knew what awaited beyond if he chose to look, the heartache, but the temptation was too great.

So, heart pounding, Roronoa Zoro, the precocious child of Death, the prodigal son, glimpsed one last time onto the mortal world.

 

_Luffy curled onto herself on the bed, and Zoro could only feel anguished at the sight of tear tracks on her face. She’d bitten her lips so hard they were near bloody now, and she had buried herself in the pillow on his side, desperate for the scent of him. In her hands was the only picture they’d taken together._

_In it, he was lifting Ace with his right arm, her looking warily at the camera, snack half eaten, clutching the back of his shirt, and although the three of them were looking at the camera, it was clear it was Luffy he’d been staring at before it went off._

_His head was half-turned still, and the remnants of his gaze was still on her, as was her returning one on him. Before that picture, Zoro had no idea of the tenderness he was capable of revealing, or how whenever they stood side by side, his arm would lightly graze the small of Luffy’s back; his palm rested on the jut of her hips as if it’d always belonged there, pulling her as close as he could._

_Luffy was hiccupping lightly, and her eyes filled again with tears as she trailed her finger over and over and over his face, up the scar on his left side, down his neck, against the angle of his jaw where she’d pressed a thousand kisses before._

_Zoro’s chest felt caved in, or torn apart. His entire being brined with pain and he trembled with the need to hold her in his arms again, to sooth away her pain._

_Useless. He was always so useless._

_A hesitant knock on the door. Luffy wiped away her tears hastily and mustered up a bright enough expression before she went to open it._

_It was Ace with Shark in one hand. Luffy must’ve known. She wouldn’t have bothered with the façade if it had been anyone else in the crew._

_“I had a nightmare,” Ace said, and she was trying so valiantly to not cry. In the span of a few days, Zoro could see how she’d suddenly grown up, the way children should never have to. The cut under her left eye had healed into a scar, and while the marks the collar left behind weren’t angry red anymore, Zoro could tell they’d never completely go away, and he was possessed with the need to hunt down Akainu again, to tear him limb from limb, but what could he possibly do now, a mere spectre from beyond?_

_There were no painless lessons, after all._

_Luffy smiled down at her and gathered her in her arms. She piled both of them under the blankets. Ace saw the picture._

_“Mama,” she began, voice quivering, and all her efforts to hold in her tears went to waste at once. “Where’s Papa?”_

_Luffy’s face crumbled, and Zoro knew this wasn’t the first time Ace had asked. She’d just repeated the question because she was hoping for a different answer, the way she did when she asked Sanji if she was allowed a snack before a meal. She was just a child._

_…It was a special kind of agony to see Luffy wrestle with it. Kuma and Kizaru and Akainu combined would’ve been less painful._

_Luffy gave a shuddering breath and kissed the top of Ace’s head as they huddled together. “He’s – he’s gone, Baby,” she said, holding in her own sobs, though Zoro could see it still in the shaking of her shoulders. She was using his pet name for her, the way she never did, as if she was already trying to make up for his absence. Zoro’s heart just shattered then, etched on each piece was Luffy’s and Ace’s face at that moment._

_Ace cried into Luffy’s shirt, while Luffy’s own tears leaked out, the sea within her uncontained to spill out in salt. And Zoro would have sliced open the world if it meant he could go to them now._

_But he couldn’t. He watched from a distance, and felt his soul rend in the very centre of him._

Zoro was snapped back to where he was, and he immediately doubled over in pain. His tears came out in loud, wrenching sobs that he couldn’t hope to control and even though he was dead, he couldn’t seem to take in enough air. Tears swam in his eyes until he couldn’t see what was in front of him. His chest ached and ached and ached and he wondered if Akainu hadn’t lanced him through his heart after all, maybe he’d reached in and ripped it out.

Death watched on silently. “Is – is it good…that I’ve – I’ve lived at all?” Zoro asked him, demanded. He needed to know, if this was what he caused Luffy and Ace, wasn’t it better had he never been alive?

Death stared at the veil, contemplating his answer. _I don’t know_ he said. _I have not lived one mortal day._

Death looked at him, at the pathetic state he was in, and he still sounded envious as he asked _Tell me, ye who was born of the dark, ye who hold fate in your hands…what – what was life?_

What…was life?

How did Zoro even begin to answer that question?

_Life is_

_…_ the first time Luffy and he met, that day in the nameless town, bright sun overhead, heated earth underneath, the chaffing of ropes biting into his skin, hunger and thirst and humiliation gnawing at him. Wide eyes, wide grin like sunshine and a promise exchanged, the turning point of a century, when a King found her swordsman and an absurd, irrefusable order _Join my pirate crew!_

_Life is_

A duel for the fate of a country in the middle of the desert, a man made of steel named after a number, countless cuts against his mangled skin and bones, where he heard the breath of the world, blood like sweat on his chin, _drip drip drip_ and the calm before a storm, the rush when he cut steel for the first time. The first step; heading up to that peak, one step at a time.

 **_Life_ ** _is_

On a sturdy little ship fitted with wings, the incredible rush of air, coasting on hope and faith and belief in a dream, holding on with everything he had on the rails as the earth shrunk beneath them, Luffy laughing like the devil, thrilled, and his own laughter in return, because you have to learn to laugh at the crazy things. A man who thought himself god, broken by the fists of a determined girl.

 **Life** is

Nami’s unchanging debt, that she never bothered to collect, Usopp telling tales to cover his cowardice not knowing how brave he already was, Sanji’s growling insistence he ate, how Chopper nagged as he rebandaged his wounds again and again because he never learned to sit still, Robin and her knowing eyes, how Franky distracted with flashy displays, Brook’s violin strings and chipped tooth and –

 **L i f e** is

Feeling his daughter kick for the first time, that night with the rain, the slight pressure of skin against the palm of his hands, the first time he’d felt her, how he couldn’t wait to meet her and how fascinated he was when he finally did, fresh off a duel with a man made of light, a man he killed so his daughter could live.

**_L i f e  i s_ **

Luffy asleep against him, her breath stirring her hair, a hand of hers always finding its way under his shirt to seek out the warmth of his skin. Ace cooing at the sight of his face, the curl of her gummy smile. Wado Ichimonji glinting in his hands. The burning bitterness of his first sake like liquid fire. Floating sea creatures as arcane and mysterious as time. Stars and fireworks reflected in Luffy’s eyes. C _lick!_ as the camera flashed; a perfect, perfect day. Dancing flowers in a meadow crying dewdrops of sunlight. Sea-spray against his skin. The dawn of a new day with his daughter, the weight of the world had never felt so light in the cradle of his arms. A nap on the lawn, the familiar prickle of grass, breeze gentle in his hair like the touch of a lover, his family safe around him the smell of metal oil and whetstone and the sea under the mid-noon sun and every scar carved on him every bargain made no regrets the pain of his captain gladly taken in broken promises like ash life is –

_That is what it means…to be a father._

_How big do you think the world is, Zoro?_

_I made this for you, Papa._

_Look at the stars!_

_Pinky-promise?_

_I’ll hold you to it._

_Don’t rush to your death, young one._

_A little sister like her makes an older brother worry…Please take care of her._

_What would you give in return?_

_Papa’ll scare ‘em all away for you, okay?_

_Together._

_I promise I will never lose again!_

_Any problems with that, Pirate King!?_

_I love you. I love you I love you I love you and **L I F E . I S** –  _

_“I wish Papa was here.”_

_Zoro whirled around to see a young woman, hair long, eyes green, so, so beloved, on the first day of her journey. She was standing on a dinghy that looked questionable at best, bagged down by provisions her family had forced on her despite her repeatedly declining as politely as she could._

_Luffy was sending her off. She was older now, but her face was youthful still. There were laugh-lines at the corners of her eyes and her hair was free and coarse and flyaway just as he remembered and Zoro ached to comb his fingers through it. Her strawhat was nowhere in sight._

_Luffy smiled gently at her, this side she’d only ever shown to her daughter, and said, “He’s always with you, Baby.” She sounded so confident when she said it too, though traces of melancholy stained her sunshine smile. “He’s always a part of you.”_

_Ace nodded and gave a wobbly smile in return, and Zoro started, chest clenching because those were his eyes staring back at Luffy, his green in her hair when the sun hit just right; this mysterious, beloved being. But then his daughter looked down, asked in a small voice, “I thought – it’s stupid but, if he’s a part of me, if I become the World’s Best, he would be too, right? The way he always wanted?”_

_Luffy’s face softened when she pulled Ace into a hug, an embrace so tight it felt like she would never let go. “He’d only ever wanted you to be happy, you know. You could do whatever you want.”_

_Ace sighed into her mother’s shoulder. “I know.” She pulled herself together, took a deep breath, and grinned. “Well, I’m off then!”_

_Luffy climbed back onto Sunny and waved her goodbye, laughing. “Take care, Baby!” Her crew beside her waved frantically too. Sanji was crying and trying to throw more food overboard onto her dinghy._

_Ace laughed. She waved and waved until they were a speck in the distance, until she was alone with the sea around her, the sky above her. Freedom unbound, her inheritance._

_She unsheathed Wado Ichimonji and pointed her shining blade to the sky. “Watch me, Papa!” she said, grinning so hard her face was almost split in half. An oath between her teeth._

Zoro blinked, and the vision, like a dream from which he’d awakened from, fell away, though his mind grasped desperately for it. His eyes swam with leftover tears and his chest ached with leftover pain, spreading to his fingertips and toes and his very soul. He was making a noise from the back of his throat, a keening sound like a small animal wounded, calling out silently to the moon and stars and what could have been but would never be. He clutched at his heart where it hurt the most until his knuckles turned white, until his hand shook and the skin there tore open and still the stinging pain couldn’t compare to what he felt deep within. He noticed distantly that his chest was heaving uncontrollably, tectonic plates shifting within him.

 _I…think – I understand, now_ Death said quietly, and when Zoro looked up at him, he was shocked to see how his lone eye – mirror of his own, the lost twin to his – sparkled too with unshed tears, and it made Zoro wonder if grief was infectious; like joy, like love. Death raised a hand to his face and when it came away wet, the look on his face was inscrutable.

Death turned slowly to him, his prodigal son, his lost, grieving child, so precocious, and he bit his lips, and it was a gesture so human that it startled Zoro to see. Death tilted his face, tear flowing freely from his lone eye and he said _Go._

Zoro didn’t understand. “What?” he croaked.

Death smiled at him; a trembling, fleeting thing, fluttering like the wings of a bird in spring _Go, my son. I release ye from the binds of this place, until you live out the rest of your mortal life. And when your time comes, mayhap you would greet me as an old friend, and share stories with me, about what it meant, to have lived._

He raised his arm to the distance, and suddenly they were across the river, in front of the veil. Kuina and Ace looked on, smiling too.

“Don’t mess up this time,” Kuina chided. “You better become the Best, or else!”

Ace quirked his lips in a half-smile. “I leave them to you, then.”

Zoro turned around, to that veil of light and what lied forever beyond. He glanced at Death one last time.

 _Go on, o child of mine_ he urged again.

Zoro straightened his shoulder and walked into the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> '...we are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.' - Charles Bukowski. 
> 
> So I haven't been replying to comments because I'd been hiding. Also I didn't trust myself not to spoil anything haha.
> 
> Final chapters will be coming a bit later than usual because I'll be out of town. I hope you'd enjoyed this chapter in the mean time :)


	25. Part V

**Part V**

Luffy thought she’d experienced the limits of grief a person could withstand without dying the day she lost her brother, but Zoro’s death had been a constant, throbbing thing deep, deep inside her like a second beating heart, pumping agony instead of lifeblood. His absence was like an itch under her skin that she couldn’t reach, and it was driving her mad; she’d stayed awake these past few days, trying to reach it, clawing at her chest and the scar overlying it, because maybe if she could apply pressure, the pain would. Stop. Like a sprained ankle.

It didn’t. Akainu was gone now, along with all of Loguetown. The entire island had been brought under by her fists and Haki alone, and when it was over, even Sabo and her grandfather had looked afraid for – of – her, the sight of her at her worst, in her maddening grief. Even the decimation she’d brought upon their enemies couldn’t sooth the unreachable ache within her.

They’d burned – burned Zoro, out at sea, because she couldn’t stand the thought of him being buried under the suffocating earth. She wanted him to be free.

She wanted him to be alive more, but fate had always been that which was inevitable, inescapable. Immortal.

The only thing that held her on was Ace. Her daughter couldn’t comprehend that Papa was – was gone, and in the first few days, she kept asking when he would come back when they were huddled together under the blankets at night, Luffy’s arms wound around and around and around her, because Ace was all that was holding her together in this world, but her innocent question tore Luffy apart again. Luffy had no idea how to answer her. Honesty was cruel to a child who missed her father, but Luffy didn’t know what else to tell her except the truth.

The Marines were all but gone now, at least. If any one of them _dared_ come near her crew right now –

Well, they knew what happened to Loguetown and their fleet-admiral.

Luffy fingered the scabbard of Wado Ichimonji. She might be going crazy, but she thought the sword was mourning Zoro too. She’d known him longer than Luffy had, after all. Sometimes, Luffy held on to her because on her blade and hilt, Luffy thought, wildly, that she could still feel the residues of Zoro’s warmth.

She shook the thought away, and walked on.

She was alone at the moment. Her crew was standing guard near _Sunny_ , with Ace. They were grieving too.

Raftel was not at all what she’d imagined. She didn’t know what she’d find here – that had been half the fun – but she’d expected, she didn’t know, elation or something when she finally claimed her prize, not this hollowness in her chest.

She walked towards the curtain of light in the middle of the lost golden kingdom. The part of her that was not tired from not sleeping for five days straight wondered what it could possibly be that Roger had found here.

She was finally here, now. Luffy gripped Wado Ichimonji tighter; she’d brought her here because – well, she thought Zoro would’ve wanted to see her reach her dreams.

So, the sword in one hand, Shank’s strawhat on her head, Monkey D. Luffy reached out to the light, and became King.

A surge of energy rippled from the light, across the island and the sea and the entire world. Luffy had to close her eyes and when she opened them, the light was gone. In its place was…

It was –

Luffy’s her vision clouded with tears that wouldn’t stop flowing, so ungracefully down her nose and her chin and into her mouth. She couldn’t stop shaking. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She was rooted to the spot, too afraid to move.

Zoro smiled tiredly at her, alive and whole. “Hey,” he said gently. “I promised to always come back, didn’t I?”

Luffy’s face crumpled at the sound of his voice, so painfully missed. She sobbed and threw herself without a thought at him. Her arms wound around the familiar slopes of his shoulders, her legs locked behind his back, and Zoro caught her, as he always, always did. His grip on her was tight enough to bruise but Luffy. Didn’t. Care.

She buried her face into his neck, where he smelled the most Zoro-est, like sake and grit and something woody and a little like blood and a lot like home, and fresh tears fell again because incredibly, he still smelled the same. As if he’d never left.  

Zoro was shaking too, and even as he sank down to his knees, he still didn’t let go of her. He pressed kisses anywhere he could reach; her hair, her neck, her shoulders, and drew in a shuddering breath beside her ears. Zoro curled into her, his spine curving around her like a question mark and they were entwined so tightly there was hardly space to even breath, but Luffy buried deeper still into Zoro’s arms, nuzzled her nose into that hollow between his collar bones, that spot that belonged to her and only her. She pressed all of her against him; from the crown of her head under his chin to the tips of her toes behind his back, and she thought vehemently that she never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever wanted to let go.

“How?” Luffy whimpered.

Zoro chuckled weakly, drew her back a little so he could look at her. He touched his forehead to hers and Luffy keened at the feeling of unimaginable relief. His own eye, glittering emerald, was as watery as her own. His trembling hands came up to cup her face, and they were warm and calloused just as she remembered and nothing about him had changed and Luffy leaned into his hold, and hoped with all her heart that she wasn’t dreaming.

He smiled, a small thing; broken in places and pieced together by joy, by love, and he said, “Couldn’t leave the Pirate King without her swordsman.”

Luffy laughed, blubbering still, and if Zoro’s lips were still wet when she kissed him, it hardly mattered.


	26. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

Ace hoisted the last of her supplies onto the dinghy she’d insisted on taking despite Franky’s persistent suggestion that he could build a ‘Superr’ ship for her. Everything looked in order; the ropes were set, she had her log post, water for two weeks, Sanji’s bentos, her favourite coat (with Shark tucked secretly in), and…that was about it, she guessed.

Mama and Papa stood at the side, on one of _Sunny’s_ lower platform watching her. Ace thought they might be bickering over something.

“It’s her adventure! Don’t be a spoilsport, Zoro!” Ace heard as she walked to them.

“We saw a seaking nearby yesterday, what if she – “

“Bleghh, spoilsport spoilsport~”

Papa scowled. He locked Mama into a hold to noogie her head and…Ace wasn’t sure if this was how other old people were supposed to act, or if her parents were just especially, you know, _special_.

Ace coughed lightly to catch their attention, and both of them looked up. “Ahh I guess…I’m ready to go...?” she began awkwardly, her hands clasped behind her.

Mama beamed and came forward to hug her. Ace had recently noticed that she was a whole inch taller than her now at seventeen. Mama was just really, really tiny, huh. “Bye, Ace,” she said. She ruffled her hair when she let go and Ace swatted her hand away.

“ _Mama_ ,” she complained. Mama just snickered.

She turned to Papa next, who looked so tense with his arms crossed that way, but Ace was an expert by now in cajoling him. It helped that he was actually such a big softie under all that ‘hardened swordsman’ act.

Ace pulled at his arm, smiling sweetly all the while, until Papa relented and gave her a hug. “Take care, Baby,” he sighed into her hair.

Before he could protest, Ace pressed a quick kiss on his cheeks, the way she knew he secretly liked. “I will,” she said, feeling playful. She noticed that his eye was wet when she pulled back.

“Papa, are you – are you actually crying?” Ace asked incredulously.

Papa blinked rapidly, as if to erase the evidence, “The hell you talking about. I ain’t crying.”

Mama slipped forward to see. “You a _re_ ,” she cackled. Then she turned to the rest of their family, who were watching from above, all lined up at the rails. “Guys, guys! Zoro’s crying!”

Jeers and various sounds of ridicule floated down, directed at Papa and causing him to blush and swear up at them, accompanied by really rude hand gestures. Promises of evisceration were exchanged. Ace politely didn’t mention that _all_ of them up there had been crying just a minute ago, even Robin.

It died down eventually, and Papa glared when he turned back at her. Ace tried to appear as innocent as she could.

His expression changed then, into one that was softer. He reached to his hip and released Wado Ichimonji from his side, and handed it to her.

Ace looked at him in shock. “I can’t – I can’t take her,” she protested.

Papa quirked an eyebrow at her. “Why not?”

Ace reached around for a reason, other than the fact that it felt wrong to separate the two of them, though she actually really, really wanted Wado. “’Cause it’s – people travel all the way to the New World to see you wield her! Your challengers will be so disappointed, Papa.”

Papa looked at her quizzically, “Who cares about them?”

Ace…couldn’t argue with that, she supposed. She reached out slowly, and when the sword was in her reverent hands, it…it felt heavy, like a legacy to live up to. “Are…are you sure?” she asked, hesitant. She knew how much Wado Ichimonji meant to Papa.

Papa smiled now. He hugged her close again, and being hugged by Papa was like being enveloped by a warm landslide. It had always made Ace feel safe since she was little. “I can’t think of anyone more worthy,” he said.

And shit. It was Ace’s turn to tear up now. She looked away quickly before they noticed, but Papa saw, of course.

“Ace, are you crying?” he asked in mock surprise, teasing her.

Ace just laughed. She went in for one last hug. “I’ll miss you,” she whispered into his chest.

Papa’s arms closed in around her. “I’ll miss you too, Baby,” he said. If he sounded a little choked up, Ace decided she could keep it a secret this time.

Mama wound her rubbery arms around the both of them. “I’ll miss you, three!” she declared. She smacked an exaggeratedly loud kiss on Ace’s head and Ace struggled out of their hold, giggling.

It was…it was time now. Ace felt anticipation bubbling inside her. She stepped onto the dinghy and undid the ropes anchoring her to _Sunny,_ and her heart swooped a little in excitement. Mama and Papa waved at her from the platform, their family waving boisterously above them.

Ace waved back. “Bye!” she called. “Love you!”

“Love you, too, Ace!” Mama yelled back at her, no decorum at all as always. She cupped her hands around her mouth as Ace’s dinghy started floating further away. “Have fun!”

“Stay safe!” Papa echoed, ever the worrywart.

Ace rolled her eyes in good humour. “I will!” she answered, just to ease his mind.

She waved and waved until Papa and Mama were specks in the horizon, until she couldn’t see _Sunny_ anymore and maybe she’d started missing them already, but the sea still called to her blood, and the world was so, _so_ big in front of her. Ace got giddy just thinking about the adventures she would have.

She raised Wado Ichimonji to the sky, pressed Mama’s strawhat to her head. “I’m going to be…the Pirate King!” she cheered to herself, a proclamation across the seas, until it reached all the corners of the world and the universe and beyond.

**~~End~~ **

**To new beginnings**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I initially started writing this because I wanted to see Zoro being willing to fistfight literal Death, but as I worked on it, it somehow transformed into ‘Death is actually a sympathetic character ala The Book Thief and the true villain is not living your life to the fullest’ because I can’t write anything without it absolutely dripping with sentimentality.
> 
> Zoro’s character was inspired by the Gray Sisters from Greek mythology. The sisters (or the Graiae) were beings of incredible insight who shared an eye amongst them. Zoro actually had a role as an immortal before he escaped; he was supposed to be Fate, but I couldn’t find a nice way to write it in. If you’re wondering why he seemed to experience flashes of visions of the future and the past sometimes, it’s because his Eye could see what was, what is, and what will, or can, be.
> 
> Other things I didn’t manage/ was too lazy to write in: I didn’t get to properly explain Dream’s blessing, Raleigh was supposed to show up again with Shanks at the end (I’m so sorry for using him for exposition then dumping him altogether lmao), and there was a whole subplot about Dragons being escaped souls from the After, obsessed with immortality (ya know, kinda like Doflamingo), which was why they were so interested in Zoro. If you have any questions about any of these abandoned plotlines, I’d be happy to answer them :D 
> 
> I also apologize for the numerous mistakes littered throughout the fic. I didn’t edit as much as I should have and I found. So Many errors when I went back to read some parts of it ugh. I’ll get to fixing it when I have the time.
> 
> I still have some more unexplored ideas, including ones about Ace’s own pirate adventure, so I might just put everything into a drabble series or something. But I’ll be pretty busy from next week onwards so idk. We’ll see.
> 
> Finally, thanks to everyone for reading this incredibly niche fic of mine that I spent way too much time on lmao. You guys are gems <3 Please do tell me what you liked and hated about it. Criticisms are always welcome.


	27. Outtake: of skinned hearts and knees

Zoro had heard before, stories in passing about people who woke from a coma, how they had to relearn to work their limbs and bones, their tongues to talk. Start all over again as if they had just been born to this world.

He wondered if this was how it felt, in a way.

It had been less than a day since his – his return, and he was still getting used to the sights and sounds. The coarseness of the sand beneath him, how fascinating, and the light of the full moon above framed by the eternal stars, irreverent and so far away. The fire in front of him crackled merrily and waves lapped at the shore as the sea remained unbothered by the turning of an age.

Each one of the things he felt, saw, heard, consumed the entirety of his attention. It was exhausting to feel. Had the myriad of sensation the world offered always been this overwhelming?

They were at a beach somewhere in the New World, and the celebration of Luffy’s coronation had just died down. Various members of her followers were drunkenly slumped against each other. Zoro should feel thankful that none of them knew exactly what happened, and that most of them had taken the news of his death as Marine propaganda when they saw him alive and well, so no one had been bothering him about it yet when they showed up for the party.

His own crew had been ecstatic at his return in Raftel, and at the moment, they were too overjoyed to ask questions and instead, had just taken to being clingy and overprotective. Even now, tuckered out by the festivities, his family slept in piles around him, unwilling to be too far away even in their dreams.

Luffy snored against his shoulder. The fabric of his worn robe was clutched tight between her fingers, but the taut lines on her face were gone. Every now and then, she’d rub her face against him as she mumbled in her sleep. The King of the world.

The only person lucid enough right now was Ace.

As everyone around them slept, Ace sat in his lap quietly. In the stillness of the night, by the light of the campfire, it was as if they were the only two awake in the world. She had been tracing the new scar on his chest carefully for the past hour. The pad of her fingers tickled, but Zoro didn’t have the heart to tell her to stop.

Ace looked up now, and it disturbed Zoro like nothing that he couldn’t read the expression on her face. How could a child change so much in a matter of days?

He met her gaze, and there were a million things Zoro wanted to tell her, but he had no idea where to start. Ace ducked her head after a while, hand still on his chest, and said. “I’m sorry.”

Zoro’s mind seized. That…had not been what he was expecting at all. The arm not captured by Luffy came up to hold Ace against him, but she continued to avoid his eyes.

Zoro put a finger to her chin, forced her to look up. It broke his heart to see that her eyes were watery. “You have _nothing_ to be sorry for,” he said fiercely.

Ace buried her face into his chest and shook her head. “Papa…got hurt, because I got captured,” her muffled voice said. Zoro could feel the front of robe getting wet already.

Zoro hugged Ace close to him, kissed the top of her head and as he combed his fingers through her tangled hair, a part of him not agonised by his daughter’s guilt wondered if it could be learned behaviour, this tendency of his to blame himself whenever something happened to the ones he loved. Ace was still too, too young to be willing to carry the weight of his burden for him.

Once she’d calmed down a bit, Zoro pulled back, just enough to meet her sniffling face. “ _It wasn’t your fault_ ,” he told her with all the conviction in his bones. “I’m your father. I shoulda’ protected you better.”

Zoro could tell she disagreed, but she decided to let the subject drop for now, and it pained him all over again because when had Ace learned to manoeuvre a conversation this way? To steer a topic away when she couldn’t absolve him of his guilt?

“Does it hurt?” she asked now, before he could have a chance to pursue that trail of thought. Her fingers were barely touching the shiny new skin, the gentlest little girl Zoro had ever known.

Zoro quirked a smile at her. “Like an ant bite,” he boasted, maybe a little too exuberantly, but the reluctant giggle it drew from Ace was worth it.

He looked at Ace’s own scar around her neck and under her eye, and he sobered again. When he reached out a hand to examine them, Ace flinched before she could stop herself. Zoro immediately set his arm down. Guilt and anger – at himself, at the world –filled him anew.

“It still hurt, doesn’t it?” he asked Ace softly.

Ace shook her head. “L-Like an ant bite,” she echoed, cheeky, and that startled a laugh out of Zoro. At the sudden sound, Ace looked far too pleased with herself.

Ace…was really growing up too fast. Zoro looked at her, at her eyes mirroring his own and her sunshine smile, her inheritance, and he thought. What he wouldn’t do.

Ace turned her attention to his left eye now, a bargain made and sealed, and traced the old scar overlying it. “We match, now,” she declared, smiling to herself. “All three of us.”

Zoro couldn’t help himself. He pulled Ace towards him, and she came, pliant, as she always did, ever since that day when he first held her, already so perfect, and he buried his face in her hair.

“Yea,” he said. He had no idea why his voice was shaky.

Ace snuggled into his chest uncaringly. Everything was calm for a while, with Luffy, trusting and asleep beside him, his family safe around the campfire, and his daughter alive and whole in his arms. A life for a life.

Zoro was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed it when Ace spoke again.

“Papa,” she began, innocent. “Where did you go?”

Zoro’s mind stuttered. How…could he even begin to explain death to a five-year-old? Could he tell her that he’d died for her? That it was a decision made with no regrets and that he would do it again and again and again a thousand times over if it meant keeping her safe. That his life was pledged to her the moment she existed and that her happiness was everything that kept him going, the air in his very lungs to the ground beneath his feet. How would she take it?

Maybe Zoro would tell her the truth, one day, when she was old enough to begin to bear the weight of the sky with him. But now, her shoulders were still too scrawny and young, like a sapling birch. Her hands that would one day be calloused and scarred from a lifetime handling swords were now barely half the size of his, but their palms already held the entirety of his heart, willingly and recklessly given. Her eyes were filled with an innocence too precious to break, that Zoro, maybe selfishly, wanted to preserve for as long as he could.

Zoro looked down at her face, content and getting sleepy now, her cheeks against his chest, eyelids drooping as she waited for his answer, and he tightened his hold on her, and said, “Nowhere that could keep me away from you.”

Ace nodded drowsily, “’kay.”

She was asleep within seconds. Her face was peaceful in the protection of his arms, childishly trusting. It was the most precious thing Zoro had ever seen.

And as the moon shone above, as the stars spun and the world turned, Roronoa Zoro held his family close. He knew that it was more than he deserved, but he would split the world apart for them. For this.

He closed his eyes, and when he dreamt, it was of blissful oblivion.


	28. Outtake II: things we mould from the earth

After the duel, Zoro gathered all the scraps of his will to put his trembling legs under him. He stood up, swaying, bleeding, disbelief in every gasping breath, and walked like a man possessed to where Luffy was with their crew.

“I-I won,” he managed to croak. Luffy looked at him, her eyes burning, burning, _burning_ with pride, and that was the last thing he saw before everything turned black.

 

He woke up to a sight too familiar.

He was in the infirmary, bandaged from head to toe with IVs in each crook of his arms, delivering clear fluids. That was how Zoro knew Chopper didn’t think his condition was too serious, because he’d apparently decided that just saline was enough, and that a blood transfusion wasn’t necessary. He’d done a hell of a job with those bandages, though. When Zoro looked down at himself, he couldn’t see even a patch of skin.

Ace was sleeping with her head in her arms beside him. A book was opened halfway on the floor under her chair – it must have fallen from her lap when she drifted off.  

Zoro smiled. He commanded himself to lift an arm, and was surprised that it didn’t hurt half as much as he’d expected it to. He laid a hand on Ace’s head and ruffled her hair.

Ace stirred, blinking the flyaway hairs out of her eyes, and when she saw that Zoro was awake, her face broke into a relived smile.

“Papa,” she said, standing up to get closer. The dress she had on was all ruffled from sleep.

Zoro grunted. “Mornin’,” he told her, grinning.

“Does anything hurt? Should I go get Chopper?” Ace asked worriedly as she looked over to the monitors hooked up to him. Zoro knew she had no idea how to interpret them, but hey, they weren’t beeping up a ruckus at the moment, so he shouldn’t be in too bad of a shape.

Zoro was just in a really good mood right now, and he didn’t particularly care about his health. It had taken him…nineteen years, but he actually did it. He actually fucking did it.

 _I did it, Kuina,_ he thought, deliriously giddy. He could feel the pull of a mad grin on his lips, and he only realised how strange he must have looked when Ace frowned in concern at him.

“I’m fine,” he reassured her, though he still couldn’t smother that damn smile of his. “I did it, Ace. The World’s Greatest, cool eh?”

Ace nodded slowly, smiling again, hero-worship blooming in her eyes. “You’re so cool, Papa,” she said in awe. “Wado Ichimonji must be really happy.”

Zoro’s own smile gentled, because of course only his daughter would understand how he felt about his sword. “Yea.”

The door burst open just then, and Luffy barged in with several glass bottles in her arms.

“Close the door, Ace!” she whispered-yelled, and Ace rushed to obey her.

After Luffy reached the side of the bed, all the bottles she was carrying clattered to the floor noisily. Zoro rolled his eyes at how hopelessly loud she was being when she was obviously trying to be sneaky.

She finally noticed that he was awake. “Zoro!” she beamed. “You’re up!”

Zoro returned her smile. “Hey.”

Luffy fluttered about, pretending to check the drips and the monitors and the bandages as if she knew anything at all about healthcare. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Just peachy,” Zoro said drily. He nodded to the abandoned bottles strewn all over the place. “What are those?”

Luffy stretched to gather them then dumped them all onto his lap at once, causing him to wince because ok, so some things still hurt, he discovered. Ow.

“I stole sake for you!” Luffy whispered. She had cupped a hand beside her mouth too for effect, but it didn’t change the fact that she was still being loud as hell. It almost made Zoro laugh. “Chopper said it ain’t good for you right now and Sanji was guardin’ the cellar all the time, but I figured, you deserved it, since you know –”

Here, her smile shone like the freaking sun. Zoro couldn’t help mirroring it in response, and Luffy’s voice softened fondly as she continued, “ – because you achieved your dream.”

Zoro’s grin turned into a violent thing, almost feral the way it pulled against his teeth. “I’m the World’s Best,” he said again, because goddamn, did it feel good.

Luffy laughed. She pecked a kiss on his cheek and as she handed Ace a juice box, Zoro looked on, still giddy from satisfaction, and thought that this may be the best day of his fucking life.

 

It took three days for Chopper to be happy enough to let him loose from the infirmary, during which they remained docked at the rocky shores of Kurugaina because their doctor was worried that Zoro wouldn’t be stable enough to travel.

They were finally leaving today. As the crew wrapped up the rest of the preparation to set sail, Sanji made them onigiri (that was the only thing he made ever since Zoro won the duel, much like how he only cooked meat for weeks after Luffy became Pirate King, but Zoro ain’t complaining). There was nothing much else to do now, and they’d be leaving as soon as they had lunch.

Usopp was just cleaning up their canons on _Sunny’s_ sides before they ate, and he was the first one to spot their unexpected guest.

“Ahoy!” he called up to them from where he was suspended with ropes. “Hawk-eye and Weird Ghost Girl inbound!”

That instantly drew a response from Perona. “What did you say, you long-nosed freak!” she screeched. She was doing that thing of hers, where she appeared to be stomping her feet even though she was floating in the air.

“Now, now,” Mihawk chided in his deadpan voice. “This is a diplomatic visit. Please conduct yourself accordingly.”

Perona ignored him and floated up to Usopp to argue, leaving Mihawk to stand awkwardly alone at the shore.

Zoro leaned over the rails to look at him. “The hell do you want?” he groused. Mihawk, it surprised him to see, was covered in bandages, like Zoro, and though he still held himself like royalty, nose turned up at everything, it was hard to miss the hobble when he walked. Even infirmed, he was still wearing that ridiculous ruffled coat of his, as well as his goofy feathered hat.

Mihawk frowned at him. “I hardly think I deserve such cheek from you,” he said (complained) with all the airs of a wet cat. “I came to bid you farewell, and to thank your doctor. He took excellent care of me, much better than what Perona could have done.” At that, Perona immediately ceased her ongoing shouting match with Usopp and switched her target.

Zoro turned to look at Chopper questioningly. “He looked really beat up after your duel,” Chopper explained. “And it wasn’t like we were doing anything else docked here anyway.”

Zoro shrugged. He raised an eyebrow at Luffy next. She had a vacant expression on her face, one that said she was already bored with what was going on and that her mind was already on their next adventure. When she saw that Zoro was waiting for her orders, she made a wiggly, impatient motion with her entire body.

“Eh, they can come for lunch if they want,” she said dismissively, then promptly bounded off somewhere before he could protest. Zoro sighed at her back.

And that was how Zoro’s family met the two weirdos he was stuck with on this island for two years.

 

The whole crew had gathered on the deck to meet their guests, including Ace. She hid herself behind Luffy shyly as Mihawk and Perona came onboard.

Perona didn’t even acknowledge him, but she squealed shrilly when she saw Ace. “CUTEE!!” she shrieked, and floated to her.

Startled, Ace tried to keep Luffy between her and Perona. The whole situation soon devolved into one where the two of them were just running circles around Luffy.

“C’mon cutie, I’m your Big Sister Peroniee~~ I took care of your dad for two years!!” Perona said as she chased Ace around.

Luffy frowned and stepped into her path. “Stop bothering her,” she ordered. Perona was about to say something snippy in response when Sanji swopped in.

“Such a lovely lady! I’m sure you would love what I had prepared for lunch!” he tittered.

Brook chimed in from their other side. “Ohh Ghost Girl! It had been far too long! Would you hear a tune I composed to celebrate this undead reunion of ours?”

As their crew distracted Perona, Ace took the chance and ran to Zoro instead. That whole cat and mouse thing had been kinda funny to watch, but Zoro took pity on Ace when she came to clutch at his pants. He put a reassuring hand on her head.

Mihawk turned his disconcerting eyes at his daughter. “Are you going to introduce us, Roronoa Zoro?”

Zoro grunted. “This is Ace. Ace, that’s Hawk-eyes.”

“Uncle Hawk-eyes,” Mihawk corrected with a frown. He nodded oh so seriously at Ace. “Well met, Ace.”

Ace stared at him, quiet still. After a long while, she pressed herself closer to Zoro’s side and whispered, “Y-You were there. That day.”

Zoro froze. He was about to gather Ace into his arms, even though she was starting to get too old for that, because Ace had never brought up –

Mihawk nodded, unflinching. “I had obligations, but I swear to you, I meant you no harm.” Ace’s hold remained tight-knuckled around the fabric of his pants. She hadn’t stopped staring.

Zoro held her close. “He let me go to you, Ace,” he told her gently.

Ace didn’t say anything, and Mihawk didn’t break away from her gaze. After a tense eternity, Ace finally said something else. “You hurt Papa,” she accused. She was glaring now.

Mihawk looked almost bewildered. “He injured me as well,” he countered. “It was a duel between equals. Injuries were to be expected.”

Ace stayed silent as she considered this, head tilted. The terse line of her brows gradually smoothened. Her expression changed suddenly, a sneaky light in her eyes, and she bowed as she said demurely, “I hope you’re not too hurt then, after Papa beat you.”

Zoro’s eyes widened. Holy shit. Was…was Ace roasting Mihawk?

Zoro had never seen Mihawk’s composure break before, and he had to stop himself from laughing as he watched him try to recover from that unexpected shot. “I was,” Mihawk said evenly. “But no master would begrudge their pupil for excelling.”

Without a beat, Ace replied, humming, “You must be a really good teacher. Better than you are at sword-fighting, even.”

Zoro bit the inside of his cheeks. _Holy fucking shit_. That subtlety, that finesse, that straight up ruthlessness. He took it back. _This_ was the best moment of his life.

Mihawk’s face was hilarious. Zoro was so, so proud of Ace. Then, to spare Mihawk, because he did owe him, despite their weird relationship, he said, “I think lunch is ready.”

Mihawk looked far too relieved at that lifeline thrown his way. “Let us partake, then,” he said. He didn’t even wait for them when he power-walked to their kitchen.

Behind Mihawk’s back, laughter still bubbling inside him, Zoro grinned down at Ace, who blinked her big, innocent eyes at him. He held out an open palm and Ace high-fived it. His chest was the lightest it had ever been in years.

The best day of his life, indeed.

 


	29. the times, they’re a-changin’ II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which fate is gentle, and Death is kind, but time marches inexorably on.
> 
> From the edges of the world, a rumour stirs: the Pirate King is dying.
> 
> And far, far away, in a quiet corner in East Blue, unnoticed and dismissed for now by the reaching hands of history, Monkey D. Ace embarks on an adventure and finds a crew of her own.

_(Hey, did it hurt?_

_…What?_

_When you fell from heaven?_

_…)_

The first time Chen Yu met Monkey D. Ace, his village was burning down.

He had his head on his knees, his arms wrapped about himself in some vain, vague hope for warmth though fire raged around him. Blood drying underneath his nails, like cracked earth. Embers glowed on the wind, and this crazy girl with quiet eyes came up to him.

 _Wanna join my pirate crew?_ She asked him.

Yu looked up from where he was sitting. Her summer dress swayed with the breeze, a pretty white sword at her hip. He thought she was an apparition at first.

“Sure,” he’d barked, laughing. It sounded mad even to his own ears, but the girl remained unmoved. She offered him a small smile.

A strawhat was trailing behind her neck on a string; that should have been his first warning in hindsight.

When Chen Yu joined the Child of Death on her journey to piracy, he’d just burned down his village, and he had nowhere to go.

He picked up Feng and followed her. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do anyway.

 

I.

 

The world was really big, init?

That was what Yu thought as he stared at the sparkling expanse of the sea before him. The sun was shining bright above, and the horizon stretched as far as the eye could see. Everywhere looked the same. It should probably make him feel hopeless, or angry, or…something, that the earth still spun and the tides surged rhythmically on as it always had; the uncaring exhalation of the world.

Instead, he just felt…nothing. Numb was all he was.

Yu rested his arms on the side of the boat, and closed his eyes.

 

Days passed in monotonous silence.

Yu wasn’t feeling particularly chatty, and it seemed his new captain was the quiet sort, but even he realised how abnormal it was for a person to have gone days without speaking. She hadn’t even made an attempt at conversation.

He stole a peek at her. She was curled into a ball on the other side, still, but she wasn’t sleeping. She was just staring forward, to whatever unseen destination they were heading towards. The parts of her face not shielded by her strawhat was already sunburnt.

Yu’s own face was red and peeling. His lips were cracked too, no matter how much he licked them.

“…so where are we going?” he finally asked, the first words he’d spoken since their departure from his island. His voice was already croaking from disuse.

His captain – Ace, was it? – looked at him, then shrugged sheepishly.

Yu stared. “Excuse me,” he said slowly. “But are we…lost?”

Ace looked indignant. “We’re _exploring_ ,” she insisted.

Holy shit. They were, weren’t they? Yu couldn’t believe it took him days to realise this.

“We…don’t have much food,” he felt the need to point out.

His only response was, “Uhn.”

“And water,” he pressed on.

“Yes...?”

That just made Yu stare some more. “Do you…even know how to navigate?” he asked.

Ace shrugged again. “Nami taught me how,” she replied. “But…my sense of direction is…” she made an iffy motion with one hand, looking embarrassed.

Who the hell was Nami. “But you set out to sea regardless.”

Ace looked at him quizzically, as if wondering why would something small like that stop her in the first place.

Oh my god. Realisation dawned on Yu. This girl was insane. Hilarity bubbled in his chest, until a bark of laughter escaped out of him. Yu leaned back to consider her. They were probably going to die, he noted absently, but, well, if that happened, it wasn’t like he had much else to live for anyway. At least this way it wouldn’t be boring.

“You have a full name?” he asked, amused now.

She looked at him for a moment, appraising. Then a small sly smile curled one end of her lips; blink and it wasn’t there anymore. “Just Ace,” she said.

She was hiding something, or teasing, or playing a prank at his expense. Yu decided if she was going to be all secretive, two could play at that game. It didn’t matter anyway; it wasn’t like he was actually going to stay for long – he’d be gone by the first island they landed on. “Nice to meet you. ‘Just Ace’,” he said, grin sharp.

Ace looked surprised, then her smile spread slowly into something more genuine, until her eyes were smiling too. Like the sun peeking from beyond the horizon. “Likewise.”

 

The next few days, as they sat about with nothing to do on the dinghy, it became a game of some sorts. Yu would ask a question, and Ace would deflect as nonchalantly as possible. His reward was any little tid-bit he could learn about her previous life; that ever elusive mystery. He was finding out that both of them were evenly matched in stubbornness. Neither would be giving in soon.

“How old are you?” he’d ask.

“Old enough.”

“Where are you from?”

“Around.”

“The sword?”

“A legacy.” The fuck did that mean. Yu wouldn’t ask any follow-up question, or he’d seem too interested, and she’d win. They had somehow devised an entire set of rules without even talking about it.

“And this?” he held out the ridiculous plushy he’d found in one of her coats strewn around.

Ace’s eyes widened a tad, and Yu smirked internally. She hadn’t noticed he’d taken it.

She tried to appear unperturbed when she reached out to snatch it back. “Shark,” she finally said.

It…was a stuffed banana-crocodile. “What?” Yu asked, before he could stop himself.

Ace gave a small smile of victory, and Yu cursed. “His name is Shark,” she murmured, stroking the ruined doll fondly.

…That counted as a point to him, right? She’d revealed something about herself. Yu had lost count of the points a while ago, but he was sure she was still winning.

He pressed on, “Why’d you set out to sea?”

Ace looked up from Shark and into his eyes, and hers looked as ancient as time. The green in them swirled, ethereal and almost inhuman. Gravity incarnate.

Yu forced himself not to look away, not until Ace turned those eyes of hers to the horizon.

She was quiet for a while. Her strawhat fluttered silently in the stirring wind.

Finally, after a minute or an hour that seemed to stretch and compress at once, she said, as if to herself, “To be free.”

 

Yu had never been a seaperson, so he was learning quite a bit. For example, did you know, that if you had gone without water long enough, you’d seriously consider poisoning yourself with seawater? Or that you’d start to feel the delight of nausea when you’d been in the sun for too long. Or maybe was that just seasickness? He had no idea.

By the fucking gods, he hoped they found land soon.

Ace seemed perfectly used to it. She just stared and stared at the sea and beyond, contemplating. The only logpost they had lied uselessly at the side since neither of them really knew how to use it. Yu would say she was a fucking weirdo but he wasn’t really in a position to judge.

One thing more he learned: at night, when the sun had gone down and the breeze stirred, and when even the very sea seemed to have settled down to rest, you could see countless, countless stars out here. Twinkling like coins; unreachable treasure.

Yu looked up at them, his arms behind his head, breathing evened, until he could fall asleep.

 

One day, he was awakened by violent rocking of the boat.

He got up blearily, to see that Ace had scrambled to the other side. Her head was a bird’s nest of bedhair.

“Land,” she breathed out, pointing, and Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

They rowed like maniacs towards the island.

 

They made shore without much trouble and both of them, in remarkable synchrony, scrambled towards the nearest inn.

“Please give us some food,” Ace said in a demure voice to the wide-eyed owner and patrons after they near kicked down the door, and she somehow managed to make it sound like a threat despite her smile. Yu stood beside her tersely and tried not to openly salivate at the savoury smell in the air.

The owner regained her sense after a while and she glowered at their dishevelled state from behind the safety of her counter. “You two can pay?” she asked, nose turned up.

Yu’s hand twitched towards Feng’s hilt behind his back, but before he could do anything stupid, Ace answered sweetly, “Of course.”

Yu stilled at that. He gave her a discreet glance from the corner of his eyes as the owner settled down some, though still suspicious, and the only response he got was the reassuring smile Ace threw his way.

Well, okay then.

They sat down at the counter where mediocre ramen and burnt tea was being prepared for them. Yu swallowed. He inclined his head one last time at Ace for confirmation. She nodded imperceptibly, swallowing too, and when their food was placed in front of them, both of them scarfed it down like starved wolves.

Yu inhaled his first bowl of noodles. “More,” the both of them said in unison after they’d licked their bowls clean.

The owner frowned from where she was keeping an eye on them, by the cashier. “You two had better pay up,” she said, but went to make their orders.

Moments passed. Soup dripped everywhere. Bowls piled up. Yu had never loved ramen more in his entire life.

Finally, finally, it seemed his hunger was finally sated. Yu leaned back in his seat, almost dizzy with satisfaction. Ace sighed beside him.

The owner saw this and stalked up with their bill. Ace’s eyes lit up, mischievous. Yu finally caught on to what she was planning.

Before the owner could do anything but yell in surprise, the both of them had sprinted out the door. Ace’s laughter bubbled as the town blurred beside them. Before they got back on their boat, she had the audacity to turn towards their pursuers, bow, and say, “Thank you for the meal!”

It wasn’t until they were an hour away from the island that Yu remembered he had had a chance to leave.

 

“What’d ya like to eat?”

“Food.”

“Favourite colour?”

“Mmm…none in particular.”

“I’m guessing it’s blue, because of your whole…thalassophilia thing.”

A smile. A curse. A mark gained and deducted.

“Guess again.”

 

Thankfully, thankfully, through sheer luck alone (because neither of them had the foresight to ask for directions before they ate and ran), it took them less than a week to reach their next island.

 

Then, the next.

 

And life went on.

 

So, it turned out that Ace could use her sword.

East Blue was quiet, and peaceful (relatively), and since Ace seemed to find more fun running away laughing from their largely civilian pursuers, Yu didn’t have much of a chance to see her in action. Honestly, at this point he thought Wado Ichimonji was just something she decided to lug around for some reason, you know, like Shark.

He randomly brought it up when they were on a deserted island one day (sometimes, their luck would bring them to uninhabited islands where they’d scavenge for coconuts and that would be what kept them alive for weeks), and Ace’s eye glinted.

“You wanna spar?” she asked, polite, but Yu knew her well enough by then to sense the hidden giddiness beneath her words.

He felt his own excitement rise in return. It had been a while. “Sure,” he said, trying to appear as nonchalant as he could.

They took up their positions right there on the shore. Wind stirred the coconut-melon trees nearby and the edges of Ace’s dress. Yu studied her as he held Feng in a readying stance.

The way she stood – she was trained, he could tell. The body angled to provide a smaller target, to take advantage of her slight form. The hilt in her grip steady, but not too tight, not too loose – just right. This could be fun, but –

“I’m gonna win,” Yu warned, grinning. Ace’s eyes flashed in competition.

“I don’t think so,” she replied evenly.

Yu felt his smile sharpen against his cheek, and without warning, he charged.

He brought Feng – with all ninety pounds of its flashy steel – down in a slash. And Ace – Ace stood her ground. Wado Ichimonji was swung up, and in an arc of light, all the cadence of her movements, perfectly balanced, blocked the blow.

Yu’s eyes widened, at the sight of this small sword holding up a foe almost ten times her size. As effortless as a breath. The perfect timing of it.

Ace met his eyes for a single moment, then in a twist – just a tiny twist of her form – Feng went flying to the ground.

_Holy shit._

Ace withdrew demurely, almost smug. Wado Ichimonji was sheathed in a practiced, fluid move.

“I won,” she said. Her eyes danced in glee.

Yu regained his senses and went to pluck Feng from where it was buried in the sand. His mind raced.

Did…he see Ace wielding three blades for a second there?

He turned back to Ace. “That was a fluke,” he boasted. “Again?”

Ace hummed. “’kay.”

And they spent the whole afternoon that way.

And Yu never won once.

 

Another island was in sight.

Ugh, thank the fucking universe.

They docked on a sandy beach bordering a large forest, and like always, it felt like it had been far too long since Yu had seen anything green. He had to stop himself from hugging the first tree they saw.

Ace looked on, amused, as if she could read his thoughts. She tied the boat down with practised ease, and when her eyes met Yu, she just held up one finger.

Yu pretended to not know what she meant; that they’d only been adrift for one week, and he was acting like it’d been a year.

She stood up and dusted the sand from her dress. Wado Ichimonji was perched at her hip and all her belongings in a bagpack, including that ridiculous toy of hers. As she looked around, a hand pressed to her strawhat, realisation dawned on her face.

“Wait a minute,” she said slowly. “I know this place.”

 “You do?” Yu grunted. He was still trying to stretch the rest of his kinks out.

“Yea,” she decided, and started walking to the trees without waiting to see if Yu was following her. She sounded almost excited. Yu had to jog to keep up.

 

There was a giant fucking tiger napping in the sun.

Ace ignored it and walked confidently on between the foliage.

Yu shrugged. Well, okay then.

 

Eventually, they reached the top of a hill where there was a clearing. Yu’s ears perked up: he could hear people. Noisy people, actually. He cocked his head. It sounded like fighting.

An ugly, patchwork shanty sat like a squat dwarf in the middle of the clearing, where all the commotion was coming from. Two smaller structures, even uglier and more run-down, had been built haphazardly in front of it. Above their tiny doors were two signs with words missing, or too worn out to see. One read ‘Lu- country’, while the other one said ‘-ce’s count-’.

Ace marched right up to the big shanty and knocked on its door, already trembling from the fighting inside. It looked almost ready to break down.

The door flung open without warning and a large orange woman snarled down at them.

“What?” the old lady demanded.

Ace smiled up with her hands behind her back. “Hey, Dadan.”

The change was instantaneous. Her eyes widened, and Dadan’s hold on the wooden door slackened. “A-Ace!?” she spluttered.

Yu noticed that the brouhaha inside died down immediately as well. The numerous people inside – bandits? – scrambled to the door when they heard Dadan. All near thirty of them almost knocked Dadan down when they tried to squeeze through the doorway at once.

“Ace!” they cheered, while Ace good-naturedly greeted them one by one.

Well, okay then.

 

They’d been invited – wrestled, actually – to stay for a banquet where all the food served consisted of boar, boar, and boar.

Yu tore into his piece of meat without much care for table manners. He ain’t complaining about the menu. At least it wasn’t fish. Or coconuts.

Dadan had been animatedly talking to Ace beside him. Yu looked at her from the corners of his eyes. She looked almost…doting. Huh.

Once Dadan had made sure that Ace had stuffed herself sufficiently, she turned her hulking form to Yu, a glare in her eyes. Yu looked straight back, chewing uncaringly.

“So, you’re the first, eh?” she growled.

Ace piped up from beside her. “He’s the swordsman!” She declared over a mouthful of pork.

Dadan raised an eyebrow at her. “I thought you’d be the swordsman.”

“Nuh-uh,” Ace answered. She swallowed before continuing. “I’m the captain.”

Dadan softened. “Of course, you are,” she said. Was she cooing. What the fuck, Yu thought as he continued chewing. He turned his eyes towards the far wall, where three worn wanted posters hung: two mysterious figures cloaked in fire, and one of a girl in a familiar strawhat, worth thirty million in bounty. Her smile was huge; so much that her eyes squinted with it. There was something about the way her nose wrinkled, this ‘Monkey D. Luffy’.

Yu flicked his eyes over to Ace, still conversing animatedly (for her) with Dadan, and back to the posters. He squinted more when he realised one of the fire-people was named Portgas D. Ace. Huh.

Well, okay then.

 

Eventually, they finished the meal and as the bandits were in the middle of cleaning up, Ace asked affectionately about some ‘Makino’ character.

“She’s still running that bar of hers,” Dadan grunted, her hands in soapy water. She handed Ace a bowl and she cleaned it dutifully with a rag. “You’d better go see her after this,” Dadan continued. “Don’t learn from that mother of yours. She never visits, never writes! Next time I see her, betcha’ I’ll –” Here, she made a threatening gesture with her hands, rubber gloves and soap bubbles flailing.

Ace just smiled. “Mama’s fine, Dadan,” she said.

“ – makes a poor old lady worry! N-not that I care –”

“I’ll go see Makino after this,” Ace cut in smoothly. “It’s been a while.” She brightened suddenly here, as if she just thought of something. “I wanna go see the treehouse, first. It’s still there, right?” she asked.

Dadan scrubbed furiously at some chopsticks. “Of course it is,” she muttered. “Like I’d let anything happen to that wooden pile of shit my kids built with their own hands.”

Ace beamed at her. “You’re the best, Dadan,” she said fondly, and Yu tried not to snort as Dadan spluttered and blushed.

 

After they’d said goodbye to a weeping group of rowdy bandits, Ace led Yu into the jungle again. She cut nimbly through the giant roots and leaves blocking their path, intent on making her way…somewhere, and Yu tried to keep up.

“I thought you’re shit with directions,” he said after a while. He was very diligently ignoring the sweat beading down his throat and the mosquitoes buzzing in his ears.

Ace hummed some ways in front. “I played a lot here when I was little,” she answered. Yu dodged down from a branch she’d pushed out of their way. “My crew and I stayed here for, I dunno, almost a year, because my Papa was –” Ace cut herself off abruptly. She looked determinedly onwards.

Yu waited. When she didn’t finish her sentence, he prompted, “When your father was…?”

Ace shook her head, still not facing him. “Nevermind.”

This just made Yu frown. Ace was usually a thousand times more subtle than this when she wanted to avoid a topic. But he wasn’t going to force her if she didn’t want to talk about it.

“So your crew, huh?” he asked instead. “Your parents?”

Ace’s shoulder slumped imperceivably. She smiled back at him. “Uh-huh. Mama’s the captain and Papa’s the swordsman and there’s Nami and Usopp and Sanji and Chopper and Robin and Franky and Brook and Jimbei. They’re the best.”

Yu smiled back too. This was the first time he’d seen her so opened up, it must be something about this island, about being in a place from her childhood.

“My father was a jackass,” he said, without thinking about it. “He made my mother – she waited her entire life for him. And then –” Images of fire and smoke and embers of the wind invaded his mind’s eye and Yu was suddenly unable to continue. He wouldn’t meet Ace’s eyes when she looked over her head at him in curiosity.

She didn’t push him when he didn’t say anything else. They walked in silence for the rest of they way, until Ace led them up a sloping hill, and pushed past some towering bushes.

“We’re here,” she breathed.

 

A giant treehouse sat in a towering tree. A tattered flag, mostly rags now, snapped in the wind on top of it, stared longingly at the coastline. Some places had caved in, holes in the wall where rain had invaded with rot and rust. Three bowls were hung in a net near the entrance, collecting dust. The whole place reeked of age and nostalgia.

It must be falling apart, but it seemed like it was holding on with willpower alone. Yu could tell whoever built it had done so lovingly.

Floorboards creaked as they made their way across the single room. It seemed to have been built with shorter people in mind – Yu had to practically bend down to get through the door. Ace beckoned him to climb up a rope ladder leading up to the top of the tree, where that makeshift mast was.

Yu climbed up and was greeted with a spectacular view of the island, and the sparkling expanse of the East Blue. Up here, the wind brought with them the salt of the ocean.

Yu turned his eyes inwards, to what seemed like an old kingdom in the east of the island. “Whassat place?” he asked.

“That’s Goa,” Ace said. She tilted her head, considering. “It’s still there.”

Yu idly turned the steering wheel in front of them. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“They had a King before, but he was dethroned in the new age. I thought they’d tear down the city walls by now.”

What she said made something click inside Yu’s mind, old history lessons from his military training. “Wait, isn’t the King of Goa the one who wanted to be a Heavenly Dragon? I heard he tried to stage a coup or something when the Pirate King destroyed Mariejois.”

Ace’s eyes flashed. “That’s the one.”

They said nothing more in the next few minutes, just stared at the horizon and the sea with the wind around them. Ace was turning to go back down when Yu spotted something in the distance.

“What the fuck?” he muttered, and he felt his eyes widened when he recognised the sigils on the approaching ship. “Hey, Ace. Ace!”  

Ace climbed back up the rope ladder, “Yea?”

“Is that what I think it is?”

Ace squinted at where he was pointing. She frowned when she recognised them too.

“Dragons,” she said. Together, they watched the ship dock at a harbour in Goa, where a crowd was gathering. And after much fanfare, Dragons disembarked from their vessel. They looked much shabbier now without the World Government funding their expenses, but that didn’t seem to stop them from acting as pompously as they did when they owned the world. The first of them was brandishing a gun to keep commoners away.

The villagers watched from the sidelines, wary. Yu found it strange that they could be kept in line with just an old pistol, but he figured, old habits were still hard to break, although the times when you had to obey every whims of the Dragons were past.

The last of the possession towed a chained figure behind them – an octopus fishman. Even from this far, Yu could tell he was wearing a collar.

Yu turned to Ace, and her eyes were glinting. “Hey,” she said softly. “Wanna steal a ship?”

He grinned, sharp, when he realised what she was saying. “Hell yes.”

 

They went down to the kingdom after that. No one even batted an eye at them, or gave them suspicious looks as they had in other towns, so absorbed with the arrival of the Dragons that they were. Yu and Ace stood off in the alleys to observe the commotion.

Those Dragons…they were still wearing their glass-bowl thing on their heads. And though it was old, Yu could tell the pistol the first one was waving about used to be of good quality, and their clothes, even dirty, couldn’t hide the opulence they must have exuded previously. That they had pretty much nothing now didn’t stop the Dragons from turning up their noses at everything in their path.

“You peasants,” the first one, who seemed to be the patriarch of this little group, growled at everyone in his immediate vicinity. “How dare you not bow down in our presence?”

The villagers looked at each other hesitantly, before the gun was pointed at them, then they hurriedly dropped to their knees and avoided eye contact with the Dragons. Yu looked on in mild disbelief. It was only one gun. What was holding them in line? The Dragons had basically no power anymore.

“That’s more like it,” the patriarch was saying smugly. “Now tell us, which way to the castle of your ousted King? I hear he left it unoccupied after fleeing the country.”

No one said a word.

A sigh came from the end of the procession. “I believe it’s that one, Lord Father,” the one holding the chains to their slave said, pointing at the tallest building at the edge of town. “It’s the only thing resembling something other than a pig sty in this miserable kingdom.” Yu narrowed his eyes when he saw the fishman they’d held captive. His scales were too dry, and he had bruises and wounds all over. The only thing he’d been looking at throughout the whole ordeal was the cobblestone beneath his tentacles.

The father tutted and stroked his beard as he appraised the castle. “It’ll have to do for now,” he finally said. He turned his pistol to the man nearest to him, who jumped. “I expect the castle to be staffed and prepared for our arrival.”

The man looked away. “B-but the servants had all left too when King Stelly –”

“Such impunity!” the Dragon bristled, and the man cowed further away. “What is it that I see this town is filled with then!? Don’t tell me you peasants are incapable of waiting on Nobles! Honestly, even this wench could be made a scullion.” He reached out to grab the woman beside him.

“Hey! That’s my sister –”

Alright, that’s enough.

Before Yu could do anything though, a blade was drawn, a flash of steel, and the Dragon was left lying screaming on the streets, clutching his bleeding wrist.

Ace stood before him, Wado Ichimonji dripping with blood. “Oh sorry,” she said, voice soft. “My sword slipped.”

Screams from the rest of the group.

“How dare you!” an old lady Dragon cried hysterically. “Do you know who we are!?”

“I do,” Ace said evenly, above the screeches emitting from the man rolling in pain at her feet. “You’re cowards.”

The patriarch seemed to have ceased sobbing for a moment. He reached for his gun with his other hand and pointed it at Ace’s back. Before the trigger could be pulled, Yu swung Feng down on his wrist.

_Snap._

“Now, now,” Yu said cheerfully as the poor man screamed anew. “Be grateful I didn’t chop it off.”

With a lazy flick of her sword, Ace cut the offending gun into pieces, then she turned her eyes towards the rest of the group, huddled together and uncertain, now that their only means of intimidation was gone. She considered them, head tilted, as the town held their collective breath. _What will you do now?_

When no one made a peep, Ace smiled at them. “Thank you,” she said, at length. “For our ship.”

No one stopped the two of them from walking down the street. The Dragons wouldn’t even look at them. As she passed, Ace broke the restraints on the fishman too. “And for our new nakama,” she added.

And no one stopped them from sailing away.

 

Ace moped a little as they got further and further from Goa. “I didn’t get to see Makino…” Yu heard her saying to herself.

“My name is Thuraya Suhail!” The fishman was saying enthusiastically. He’d prostrated himself before them in apparent gratitude. His smile was entirely too bright. “I’m forever in your debt!”

He was also shaking. Yu, leaning against the railing of their new ship, observed idly, at the slight tremors wrecking him. Ace looked at him quizzically and Yu raised an eyebrow at her in return. _Your call, captain._

She turned back to the fishman – Suhail – and said, “Uh, nice to meet…you?”

“The pleasure is all mine!”

Ace winced. “Please – please don’t do that.”

When Suhail seemed to waver in confusion, eyes still not daring to meet theirs, Yu gave in and asked, “You got anywhere you want us to drop you off, mate?”

Suhail drooped. “I…have nowhere to go,” he finally admitted.

Ace frowned. “We could even go to Fishmen Island. It might take a while, but it’s definitely on our way.”

“Is it?” Yu asked before he could stop himself. They hadn’t exactly discussed their route in detail before, other than that they both wanted to head to the Grand Line and then to the New World. The extent of their travel plans before this had been, well, ‘drift around until we reach Reverse Mountain’.

Ace grinned at him. “’course it is.” And Yu shrugged. It wasn’t like he had anything against that idea.

Before them, Suhail bit his lips. “My parents…sold me off more than ten years ago. I don’t know anyone in Fishmen Island, anymore.”

He looked up at them, and Yu stared evenly back, at his too-bright smile, at the tremors he was trying to hide beneath his skin, the collar mark around his neck. “I don’t mind anything really! You can drop me off at the nearest island if you want!”

Yu narrowed his eyes at that. That’s bullshit. A fishman wouldn’t be able to survive here in the human isles on his own, especially one as malnourished and injured as he was.

Ace hummed beside him. “You wanna join our pirate crew?” she asked.

_(A crackling blaze, quiet eyes. An offer like a life-line. Wanna join my pirate crew?)_

Suhail looked up in surprise. “You’re pirates?” he asked.

Oh dear. “Relax,” Yu drawled. “We won’t hurt you.”

Suhail shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. I’d be useful to you then! I’m good at astronomy. I can – I can navigate for you if you’d let me!”

He what. Yu and Ace shared a look. Did the universe really just drop this into their lap?

Suhail was still blabbering on. “I promise I’ll be useful. I – I can clean, and cook. I mean not very well, but –”

“Suhail,” Ace cut in, beaming. “Suhail. You’re _perfect._ ”

Suhail stopped abruptly, and his indecisiveness seemed to melt away in front of their very eyes, in the face of Ace’s sincerity. A new smile bloomed slowly on his lips, one that actually reached his eyes.

When he’d finished gaping, Suhail swallowed, smile quivering, and said, “In your service, captain.”

 

Before they went any further, Ace had demanded (in the sweetest, most threatening way possible) that they name their ship.

“It’s a ship,” Yu complained from where he’d sprawled himself on the deck. He was enjoying the fact that he was able to stretch his limbs when they were at sea now. And they had rooms! And a kitchen!! The Dragons had left behind an entire store of food, too. Life was amazing, truly.

Ace whirled around at him and Yu almost expected her to stamp her foot. “The ship is nakama now! She can’t not have a name! Think how sad she’d be.”

Suhail rocked back and forth on one of the rigging, “The Dragons used to call it ‘Celestial Lion Ship Of Heavenly Grace’.” He hung himself upside down and the wind tousled his hair all over his face. “I just called it Lion.”

Ace nodded her head. “Lion’s not a bad name.”

That made Yu cackle. “Yea, it – it is, actually.”

“How ‘bout Shark-Wolf-Lion.”

“How ‘bout no.”

“Ooh ooh,” Suhail raised a hand. “I vote for ‘Bubbly Wave’.”

“…nah,” Ace vetoed, her nose wrinkled.

“Oh come on! It’s got, like, a water theme going on –”

“I vote for you two to stay quiet so I can sleep.”

Ace poked his side with a sandaled foot. “I vote,” she declared. “For Yu to be called ‘Grouchy-pants’ from now on.”

“Seconded!”

“…ow.”

Ace turned to the horizon, at the sun setting in the distance. From where he lied, Yu could see the corner of her smile. How her green eyes encompassed all the turquoise of the sea. She faced the two of them now, the three of them against the world. Finally on their way to their dreams. The wind that swirled around them tugged at the ends of her dress and made the strawhat behind her flutter – it smelled of change.

“This ship is gonna take us to the ends of the world,” she told them. Anticipation was making her words giddy. Something about this moment made Yu sit up slowly. Suhail was paying attention too, he could tell.

“A lion that could carry us above all hardship,” Yu said, thinking about the stone lion guardians they had back home. “ _Shishi._ ”

Ace’s eyes lit up at that, as if she was enjoying a private joke. “Nice to meet you, _Shishi-go,_ ” she said, mirthfully. Her eyes glinted.

The sun had fully set now, and stars twinkled above, unreachable treasure. Yu held up a hand up to them, and he felt like they’re closer than ever before.

 

_(Sometimes, when you closed your eyes, you could remember the fall._

_It had been a long time coming, the earth and heavens crumbling beneath your feet. And you reached, desperately, desperately for purchase: at the hilt of the worthless, inherited sword, at your father’s parting words, the poison that dripped from his lips. The corner of your mother’s petticoats as she wept. Her fragile, unhinged smile._

_The smell of your home as it blazed. No turning back. No turning back now._

_You looked up and from the smoke, an apparition appeared._

_Wanna join my pirate crew?_

_An offer like a lifeline._

_You followed your captain out of the fire and into the vast, endless world beyond._

_And maybe, you’re not falling anymore._

_You spread your untested wings, haloed by the grins of a crazy girl with quiet eyes, by the unreachable, unimaginable treasures above._

_Close your eyes, now._

_Into the unknown._

_Have faith now, Icarus._

_And you could learn to fly.)_

 

* * *

 

To: Base

The ‘younger Death’ resurfaces. (Sighting confirmed by 1. Notable scar under left eye. 2. Collar-shaped mark around neck).

  1. Wado Ichimonji: Legendary blade once wielded by the ‘elder Death’.
  2. Chen Yu: 晨雨 (Chén Yǔ) ‘The morning rain’. Adept swordsman from the ruined island, Changchen. Ex-member of Changhenese military. Possible only survivor.
  3. Feng: 峰 (Fēng) ‘The Peak’. Five-feet, single edged broadsword carried by item (2). No particular notable properties other than its size.
  4. Thuraya Suhail: ثريا سُهَيْل ‘Stargazer’. Stolen property from Base. Purple-ringed octopus fishman. Self-taught astronomer and navigator.
  5. Vessel number 34: ‘34’ Stolen property from Base. Standard issue Base vessel from Before. Lion shaped figurehead. Now called the ‘ _Shishi-go_ ’, from the Changchenese 石狮 (Shí shī).



 

To: Immortal

Observe and tail. Items not yet for elimination.

To: Base

Received.

* * *

 


	30. tremble not, ready your heart (the world calls)

II.

 

The longer he was at sea, the more Yu was learning.

For instance, he learned that stars carried with them names and legends, and that their steadfastness was as reliable as time. You couldn’t trust the logpost, but stars would always point you in the right direction.

Suhail would tell them about constellations at night, about how he’d learned to read them during his imprisonment, and how they were the only companions he had then. They had mattresses in the rooms but more often than not, the three of them would fall asleep on the deck within paces of each other. Their nights guarded by glittering skeletal structures of heavenly beings, figures from tales as old as the sea.

Yu learned too, that his dreams had become more colourful and vibrant. The crackle and the heat from his old nightmares were becoming infrequent visitors.

There was one dream he had that would always recur, usually when he was between the confusing state of being awake and asleep, when his bones felt like molasses, one where Ace stood on the deck in front of his and Suhail’s sleeping form. Wado Ichimonji pointed at an unseen foe from the still blackness.

 _They are not yours to claim._ He’d hear her saying. Her voice was like the steel in the spine of her blade.

An answer, somewhere, from the vast beyond of the sea. A lone, emerald eye.

Yu would always struggle to remember it when he woke up.

 

“I’ll win this time.” A groundless statement on repeat, underlaced with a mocking bravado he was nowhere near backing, for now. Suhail sat intently on the edge of his seat like he did every afternoon.

A flash of eyes, of teeth behind the curl of a small smile, of a blade gleaming under the sun as she was unsheathed.

“You can try.”

 

“Thanks for the meal!”

A chorus of three voices blending into mad cackles.

The town chased after them, but they might as well try to touch the sun.

As the sprinted, wind beneath their winged feet, laughing, onto the safety of their ship, Yu learned that this was what it meant to be free.

 

Piracy was not…a very lucrative career anymore. Even though they weren’t exactly broke, Yu couldn’t deny that it’d be nice to have some…you know, stuff. His only change of clothes were already in rags, and Ace and Suhail didn’t look much better either.

“We could, I dunno, sell what’s left of our seaking meat?” he suggested idly one day. They’d never had trouble hunting them down anyways, and now that they had a furnished kitchen, there was actually a way to store them. Their fridge was already bursting.

Ace wrinkled her nose delicately in an expression that could only be described as disgust. “..No,” she said finally. Yu barked in laughter. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that Ace would rather die than willingly part with food.

With a splash, Suhail jumped up from the sea to the side railing of the ship, fresh from his swim. He very deliberately shook his head near them and droplets of water went flying everywhere. Yu whacked him on his head in retribution. Suhail yelped.

“Yea, and that doesn’t sound fun, at all,” Suhail said, clutching his newly-acquired bump. He was pouting. “It’s too…? What’s the word?”

“Legitimate,” Ace supplied, nodding sagely.

“Yea, that.”

Yu rolled his eyes. “Well, what should we do then?”

“We should rob more Dragons,” Ace helpfully suggested.

“…I mean,” Yu replied slowly, humouring her. “There aren’t…a lot of them left though, for that to be sustainable.”

To the side, Suhail had been busy wringing out his hair. “We can always do that thing, where they hunt people? And they’d give us money for it?” he was saying now. He plopped himself between the two of them when he was done, where they were sprawled out on the deck.

“Bounty hunting?” Ace asked thoughtfully.

Yu rolled over to make more room for Suhail and to get away from his still-wet tentacles. “Do they still issue wanted posters?” he wondered out loud. He couldn’t even remember the last active one he saw. “I thought Momousagi decommissioned them all ages ago.” He vaguely recalled it having something to do with the new Fleet Admiral claiming they were ‘corrupt instruments with no role in the pursuit of justice’, or something. The old World Government did use to issue them to whoever was a threat to their standing after all, so it wasn’t like he was wrong.

Suhail raised an eyebrow at him. “Did he?” he asked. “Then, what are…?” He tilted his head, frowning in thought.

When he didn’t go on, Ace poked his side. Suhail jumped. He stood up when he saw the two of them were still waiting for him to finish his sentence.

“Come, I’ll show you guys something.”

 

Suhail led them to a room that could be the captain quarters. He went straight to the back and pulled a hidden lever, to reveal another room behind a false panel which had given away.

Yu poked his head into it, curious. “Huh.”

Ace went in after Suhail. It was messy as heck in there. Pieces of paper and what seemed like charted maps were strewn everywhere. There was a table in the middle of the room, and against the wall was a huge board.

Pinned on them were wanted posters, all lined up neatly.

Yu inspected them, hands in his pockets. Suhail was standing next to the board. “The Dragons used to have meetings where these were all they’d talk about,” he explained. “It was weird.”

Ace had gone awfully still, Yu couldn’t help but notice. He turned his attention back to the posters for now. “What’d they talk about?”

“Dunno. They’d switch language too. I couldn’t understand them.”

Yu squinted at the posters. They were all old, that much was obvious. One more thing he’d notice was the initial ‘D’ in each of the names listed there. ‘Monkey D. Luffy’, ‘Portgas D. Ace’ were there too.

But on what could only be the place of honour, at the top of the board, were the posters of the Greatest Swordsman in the World – Roronoa Zoro, and one of a very familiar looking little girl eating some strawberries; the only two here without ‘D’s in their names. The little girl was only dubbed as ‘the Child of Death’, for some reason.

Ace was staring at the posters, still quiet. Yu looked at her from the corner of his eyes. Suhail seemed oblivious to her reaction, and Yu didn’t want to clue him in on it yet. “That _is_ weird,” he said to Suhail instead, faux-agreeing.

“I know right? Why are they so interested in these people if their bounties aren’t even active anymore?”

Yu feigned looking around at the rest of the room, when he was actually trying to gauge Ace’s concerning reaction discreetly. He walked to a chest in a corner and opened it up, just because.

It wasn’t even locked. Inside were little knives and bullets in casings, all stone-white.

Ace whirled around as soon as the chest was opened. Her gaze had suddenly gone sharp. She came over and Yu stepped aside for her to see. She picked up one of those knives.

Immediately, her skin started to blister. Yu could have sworn he could smell it. Ace just continued staring at it, as if in fascination.

Yu reflexively smacked it out of her hand, a sick feeling rising in his throat. The three of them watched the innocent looking blade clatter onto the floor.

They looked at each other. Yu’s eyes narrowed to slits.

The entire chest made a very huge splash when he threw it into the sea.

 

Ever since their little discovery, Ace had been withdrawn, even more than usual. Suhail’s attempts to include her into his silly games were only met with polite refusals. When Yu caught a giant squid the other day, the only reaction he could elicit was a half-hearted cheer from her. At night, she sat on _Shishi’s_ figurehead and stared out to sea. She’d brush her fingers against the odd circular mark around her neck, sometimes, as if she wasn’t even thinking about it.

(Yu wondered about the mark sometimes. Suhail’s own had long since healed, but Ace’s seemed old and worn and here to stay.)

It went on for a few days, until they reached Loguetown.

Yu had heard what happened there almost a decade ago, of course; the turning point of an era and its terrible aftermath, but it was another thing to witness decimation that befell the Place of the Beginning and the End with his own eyes.

They docked on one the flattened island’s many rocky shores. They didn’t have to land here – Reverse Mountain was only a day away by Suhail’s estimation – and God knows they wouldn’t be able to pick out any supplies from a deserted town.

However, Ace was strangely insistent on it, and Yu and Suhail had just gone along with her, because why they hell not, you know? And maybe this would help her get over her funk.

Their footsteps echoed as they walked through the streets. Around them were stone buildings abandoned long ago – shop lots, barracks and homes that used to house the families of military personnel stationed here. Gravel crunched under their feet, and that was the only sound that stirred the air around them.

They followed Ace to a square, where the remnants of the last battle here could still be seen. Rusty swords and firearm, shards of glass from shattered window panels, various shrapnel and debris. There were splatters of brownish…something, everywhere, too. It took Yu a while to realise that this was what spilled blood looked like when left undisturbed for years and years; it would seem that even rain had abandoned this place.

In the middle of the square was a wooden platform.

Ace went still at the sight of it. Then she walked determinedly up to it.

Suhail wavered when she started to climb. “Ace, I don’t think it’s –,” he began. Yu shushed him with a look and Suhail’s mouth clamped shut.

The wood creaked and groaned under Ace’s meagre weight, and Yu stood close by in case it gave away. It was stupid to think that just a fall would injure her, but well…

Ace had reached the top, now. The wind whipped about her face, howling and clamouring…for something. It was odd. The platform itself wasn’t even that tall, but when Ace stood up on it, pensive and silent as stone, the distance between her and them on the ground had seemed suddenly unreachable.

Yu wondered what she was looking for, up there, on very place where the first King spilled the last of his blood.

They waited for their captain wordlessly as she held her silent vigil. After a long while when even the sun had begun to set and when the evening stars blinked sleepily into existence, Ace finally looked down at them, smiled, and said, “Let’s go.”

If Yu heard something else behind her words, something akin to an apology, he didn’t say anything about it.

 

Like water, the human nature was an ever-changing, always-evolving entity, Yu was starting to learn. What was true the day before could cease to be a certainty the moment they turned their backs, in the span when the gods blinked their eyes.

Exhibit 1: Yu was surprised to discover, that all of a sudden, he was unable to stand melancholy anymore after almost twenty years of it as a common bedfellow, especially when the heavy shroud of it loomed over his captain, like a mourning. It made his hands itchy with anxiety. Pins-and-needles restless.

Suhail looked between the two of them helplessly. He wanted to fix this, but had he had no idea how to even begin. It was a feeling Yu was all too familiar with. From beyond the horizon, Yu could smell the beginnings of a brewing storm; it tinged the air with static and ozone, with threat and change.

Yu summoned his breath, gathered the cool, electrified air in his lungs, and called as calmly as he could, “We need a name.”

Suhail glanced at him in startlement, and even as confused as he was at Yu’s choice of distraction, he jumped in without hesitation, so loyal their navigator. “Yes! A name! We can’t go to the Grand Line without one!”

Ace slowly lifted her eyes from where they were locked on the unseen, eternal beyond and back to her crewmates. Yu held his breath, and he thought that at that very moment, Ace had seemed too far away, as unreachable as the immortal stars.

“Since there are no Marines to issue bounties anymore, they won’t be giving us cool names, so we should come up with one ourselves, yea?” Suhail was rambling on nervously.

Ace looked at them, at her waiting mortal companions, and it was as if she was registering them for the first time. Then, she smiled. Her eyes crinkled with genuine fondness, the sun peeking from beyond the horizon, filled with the promise of a new day. An oath between her teeth.

“I know just the one,” she said.

 

It took them a while to get the sigil up on their sail. It looked lopsided and amateur, like the drawing of a child, but you could tell that it had been drawn with meticulous care. Yu was reminded of a patchwork treehouse in a forest where giant tigers napped in the sun.

They had barely finished when the storm moved in. Reverse Mountain loomed in the distance, like a reckoning.

Suhail drew back to look at their masterpiece, splatters of red and orange still wet all over his face. “We’re a proper crew now,” he murmured. Then he turned to the two of them as pellets of rain started falling down from the dark sky, and over the howling storm, he said, eyes glinting, “We can go to the Grand Line now! I want – I want to draw a roadmap of stars there! So everyone can find their way home, and no one would be lost ever again! I’m going to chart – every single star in the sky!”

Suhail waited, fist pointed to them, determination and fire incarnate, and Yu couldn’t help himself when he began slowly, “My father left nothing when he abandoned us. And when my mother begged…he’d thrown a worthless sword at her face and lied that it was the most precious thing he could spare.” Yu clenched his fist at the memory. He took a deep breath before continuing, “I’m going to carve a legend with Feng, and make him the most famed blade in the world.” Here, he looked at Ace and gave her a half-smile. “A blade worthy of the Pirate King’s swordsman.”

When he finished, he joined his fist with Suhail’s. The two of them looked at Ace expectantly.

Ace smile widened. She pointed her fist towards theirs. The three of them against the world. “I’m going to be free,” she said simply. “I’m going to be…the Pirate King!”

And as _Shishi_ rocked steadily on the churning sea, as the paint was still drying on their Jolly Roger – the embodiment of their dreams – the Spade pirates climbed up the impossible vertical waterfall of Reverse Mountain, and splashed into Paradise.

 

( _You had never known pain before the fall._

_You were born of the wind and sea, so, so beloved, curious of the shadow death cast in your father’s eye, spoilt and young and unwary of what the vast world and unending seas hold. The dangers Man held in their hearts, they who were born of the dark._

_Unblemished._

_And the fall was swift and agonising. The world was ripped apart with fire molten as rage, cold like madness, like cruelty. A single strike of a stone-white blade._

_A thousand fallen stars reflecting all the light in the world._

_Even after, with the miraculous return of one of the people you loved most in the world, there were cracks in between that had never gone away. You were but a child._

_And there were no painless lessons, after all._

_Some others wore their scars like badges and crowns. Yours were marked with an innocence lost far too young._

_But now, as you embarked on your own journey, with a fledgling crew you had gathered with your own hands, with your own painted sigil drying in the storm, and as you fell into the most dangerous sea in the world on a ship you had stolen from Heaven…_

_…you think that scars may not be as immortal as you thought._

_And you would face Death himself if it meant to never fall again.)_

 

III.

 

“Crocus-ossan! You’re still alive!”

The old lighthouse-keeper flower guy glowered at them over his newspaper.

“Learn some manners, damn brat.”

 

Storms, usually already a pain in the ass, were especially unpredictable in the Grand Line.

“Get the rigging! The rig– it’s flying away!”

“Ace! Helpp!”

“I hope I didn’t just hear our wheel breaking…”

A loud splash and suddenly, they were a whole navigator short.

“Oh my shit. Ace, man overboard! SUHAIL, fucking swim back here you moron! You’re a fishman!”

The rope Ace threw Suhail fell short of a few feet. He flailed around in panic before a jet of water seemingly propelled him back onto the ship and sent him rolling on their deck.

Yu spluttered as he was drenched in seawater from the impact. “I didn’t know you could do that,” he said, too relieved to even be mad at him for falling off.

“It’s a fishman thing. I’m not very good yet but – omaigod a TORNADOO!”

 

“All those things on the cactus hills…are they gravestones?”

“…yup.”

“That means, all of those are…dead people.”

“…yup.”

Ace looked at them quizzically. “They’re just dead people.”

“…you know, you can be surprisingly morbid sometimes, captain-san.”

 

Yu plopped himself out under the sun, panting, and willed for the heat to dry up his clothes and hair faster. Suhail was right beside him. He was worn out too. They hadn’t rested properly at all in the week they entered the Grand Line.

Ace was in the crow’s nest, doing whatever she was doing.

“Dya’ see anything up there?” Yu called up at her tiredly. He hoped there wouldn’t be another storm or some super aggressive sea creature on their tail again, at least for the next few weeks. He really, really wanted to sleep.

Ace’s affirmative floated down at them. “I see a giant bird. I’m going to catch it,” she told them.

“’kay,” Yu murmured, half-way unconscious already. His eyes snapped open when he registered her words. “A what?”

“A giant bird. Hold on.”

And that was when a huge fucking corvid with scarlet eyes and metal claws swooped down at them, screeching bloody murder and violence.

Yu was immediately awake. “The hell is that!?”

Suhail sat up slowly beside him. “Please let this be a nightmare,” he said fervently.

Before they could react, the monster banked down. The gust from its wings made their sails flap and _Shishi_ rock dangerously to one side. Suhail yelped, grabbing onto the mast for dear life and Yu was about to reach out for Feng when one of the monster’s metal talons caught on their main sail and _ripped_ right through their sigil.

_Shit._

Ace was immediately livid. “Hey, jackass!” she called. The bird jerked back at her voice; its movement oddly disjointed. When it saw where Ace was, it flapped madly back towards her in the crow’s nest where she already had a hand on Wado Ichimonji’s hilt.

Ace crouched down, all narrowed eyes and steady hands. Her concentration was locked onto her prey and it was as if the world fell hushed silent around her stillness.

“ _Itt_ _oryu Iai: Shishi Sonson!”_

Like liquid quicksilver, Wado Ichimonji slashed upwards. She managed to clip a few of the monster’s feathers off and they fell onto their ship with surprising weight. _Clang clang!_

The nightmarish creature shrieked in pain and shock. Ace wait for it to regain its senses, stonily courteous, and when it did, it cawed and made one final swoop at Ace’s head, the toothless warning of an animal backed into a corner. Ace ducked down just in time. The bird had already made its escape when she got back up.

Yu shielded his eyes from the sun to follow the bird as it flew away into the distance. Suhail gave a sigh of relief.

A gasp from above them. Yu looked up to see Ace patting her own head in alarm.

“Hat!”

 

The disappearance of an old hat marked the first crisis they faced as a crew.

Even if she didn’t say it out loud, Ace had made it abundantly clear to Yu that Hat was one of the things she treasured most besides Wado Ichimonji, which she treated more like a companion than a sword. She was always dusting Hat off, or drying it after it got wet from a storm. And Ace, as nonchalant as she was with everything else, would always put Hat away carefully before tucking in for the night.

They had to get it back.

“Do we really have to?” Suhail was saying resignedly. The feeble fight he put up was only for show; he was already going to man the helm to alter their course.

Ace nodded determinedly. “I won’t sail any further without Hat.”

That just made Suhail sigh. He appraised their ruined sail, then squinted at the direction in which the bird had flown off to. “Then we’ll have to fix up the sail first, otherwise _Shishi_ can’t take us to –”

“Alabasta.”

The three of them whirled around to face the old, raspy voice. Yu fist gripped at Feng’s hilt behind his back. Beside him, Wado Ichimonji was already pointed up towards the crow’s nest, where a figure cloaked in black feathers had occupied the space Ace was in just a moment prior.

The strange creature turned slowly to them. Her face was hidden behind a porcelain white mask shaped like a bird’s beak. Only her eyes were uncovered and when she looked down at them from above, Yu caught sight of a flash of something vaguely human in their murky depths.

Strapped behind her was a scythe gleaming threateningly in the sunlight; the disturbing appearance of a crescent moon during daytime.

They hadn’t even heard her board.

Where the hell did she come from? Yu thought wildly. There were no other ships around in miles.

“Who are you?” Ace asked evenly.

The figured tilted her head to the side and strands of wiry grey hair hidden under her pointed hat escaped to fly in the wind. It was a gesture so completely avian it made Yu’s hair on his arm stand to observe it on a person. He tightened his hold on Feng.

The creature looked at them – the gears in her mind were turning, Yu could tell. _Are these prey? How many slices to reach their bones? –_ and when her eyes set on Ace, an eternity ensued where the ethereal gravity in Ace’s green competed with the unescapable dark chasms behind the mask.

In the end, neither of them looked away. “Just a hunter,” the strange creature finally replied. Then, she jumped up, light as dandelion dust, and flew away on the wind. Towards Alabasta.

 

Yu gaped. “She just…Did she just –”. He turned around to his crewmates. “Am I going crazy?” he demanded.

Suhail hadn’t stopped staring. “The sea is a mysterious place,” he whispered to himself.

Ace looked at them weirdly. “It’s just a flying person. Some people do that.”

“What sort of people!??”

“That’s not important,” she said. Her hand landed on the back of her neck, like she was going to put Hat back on her head, but she frowned when she remembered it wasn’t there. She looked up at them, steel in her eyes, and said, “We have to go to Alabasta.”

 

* * *

 

_“…of the numerous countries in the world, none have their roots as steeped in revolution as Alabasta; this is especially evident if one delved into the depths of its rich history, of which extends to years even before the Void Century._

_The vast dunes that surrounds it makes survival a test of endurance, one that every Alabastan embraces and thrives in. Their ruler is born of an ancient line – the Nerfertari family. It is no wonder that mystery and intrigue would surround such and old lineage, but the land of Alabasta itself has never been a stranger to curious sights…”_

_\- Excerpt from ‘The World and its Seas: A Complete History’, first edition. 37 A.R._

 

* * *

 

They chased the giant monster bird that stole their captain’s strawhat into a desert kingdom.

Suhail, by reading the currents, led them to a cove to dock _Shishi._ Even as upset as she was about Hat, Ace didn’t forget to say goodbye to their ship before they left. “We’ll be back, soon,” she promised solemnly.

Yu stretched and took in the sights in front of him. The sun glared from above, and beneath its merciless rays, the golden sand dunes looked almost aflame and insubstantial, like a fever dream. Heatwaves rose like steam from the ground to distort everything in sight. Almost a mile away was the city wall of the capital city. Alubarna the name was, Yu recalled faintly.

Suhail looked apprehensive. He’d never been in a place so devoid of water before, he’d told them. They’d used up their spare linens to cover up each of his tentacles so they wouldn’t burn when they touched the sand. He adjusted his made shift hood, which they’d made him to protect his scales from drying off, and asked “Any idea where that bird thing went?”

Ace hummed in thought. That was when they heard, distantly, screams of terrors and vague sounds of things breaking coming from Alubarna, then a screech so loud it sliced through the air and into their brains.

They looked at each other after they’d stopped wincing from the noise. Well, that was a clue as well as any.

 

When they reached the city, the sight that greeted them was this: a monster made of night terrors swooping about wreaking havoc, frightened masses, and that weird scythe lady running circles around her prey, uncatchable as lightning. Even if she had no problem staying out of reach from the creature’s claws and beak, she couldn’t seem to be able to land a hit. And that creature, despite the many people screaming around it, seemed oddly fixated on her. Its crimson glare followed the hunter as she skirted about fluidly, glinting scythe in hand.

Another thing: although the civilians were scared and screaming, they were oddly organised for a panicked mob. Yu looked around to realise a blue-haired woman was directing their evacuation.

“Ace! Hat!” Suhail cried above the crowd, pointing at one of the bird’s matted feathers on its belly. Sure enough, stuck there was Hat hanging by its string. Ace’s eyes widened and she sprinted into the fray without hesitation. Blue-haired lady gasped when she saw her, “Ace-chan?”

“HiViviCan’ttalkrightnowStupidbirdstoleHatByeee–”

That…somehow made sense to the woman. She grinned and spared a moment to cheer Ace on. “Go get it back, then!”

Ah whatever. Yu ran after Ace, Feng in hand.

The hunter fighting the thing spotted them approaching. “Stay back,” she snarled, even as she leaped to the top of a building to avoid a swatting wing. “This is _my_ quarry.”

Ace only scowled. She ran low, nimbly avoiding the creature’s wickedly slashing claws, and when she was within range to its face, she spun in a neat circle, feet spread, and struck upwards with Wado Ichimonji, right towards the bird’s left eye.

The bird reared back just in time to catch the blow on its hardened beak instead, but still, it must have hurt, because it _screamed_. There was a long gash down the side of its beak now. It flapped its wings, stirring up a gale, and tried to withdraw.

_Oh no you don’t._

Yu had caught up. He’d rounded to the side as Ace caught its attention, closer to its wings, and he brought Feng down now. If they don’t pin it down now, it’ll fly away again –

The bird’s eyes flashed. Like a snake, it lashed out with its beak at Yu, as if it could read his mind, and Yu brought Feng up at the last second to defend. The impact threw him to the ground almost ten feet away.

Yu winced. He’d landed on his back, but he didn’t think he broke anything important.

“Yu!” Suhail called in concern. Usually an adept enough combatant on the seas – at least he could defend himself, or run away from seakings – Suhail couldn’t do anything on land. He’d stood helplessly at the side to watch, because he knew he’d only get in their way if he tried to fight.

Yu put one of his legs under him. “I’m fine,” he said to reassure him. Once the world stopped swaying, Yu ran back into the fight.

The hunter was still jumping from rooftop to rooftop, unable to get close. “I’ve warned you, this is my fight to finish! Do not interfere!” She sounded really, really annoyed.

Ace rolled away from a swiping claw. “I’m just trying to get my Hat back,” she retorted. She slashed when she saw a window, but the bird managed to avoid it again, causing Ace to curse. Yu was starting to think this was not your usual giant animal. It was too quick, and too smart. It was actually reading their patterns and predicting their next move.

Yu picked up his speed. They have to do something soon, or it was going to escape –

The hunter, seemingly having the same thought, grew desperate. She raised her scythe, got too close, didn’t time her approach properly, and was struck across the face by a giant wing. She fell like a ragdoll from the rooftop towards the ground below –

Ace stilled for the fraction of a second, before abandoning the fight to catch her.

The moment she turned her back to it, the bird immediately took the opportunity to fly off, cawing.

Yu followed it with his eyes until it disappeared into the distance. It looked like it was heading towards the desert, which meant they would have to follow it there. It was not a prospect he was looking forward to.

Well, at least no one was hurt. He sighed and walked to his captain.

The old lady struggled out of Ace’d hold, quietly furious. “I told you children to not interfere,” she intoned.

Ace just patted her dress to get the sand and dust out. “My hat,” she said stubbornly.

The hunter lady seemed incredulous at Ace’s nonchalance. “That thing is – ! You have no _idea_ what it is. _Stay away from it_. It is my duty alone to vanquish it.”

“Why?” Ace asked, curious now.

The old lady quieted. She stared at the desert, to where the bird flew to. Her grip tightened on her scythe.

When she looked back at them, Yu didn’t know what she was thinking. There was rage within her, a reckless restlessness, one Yu couldn’t read with her face hidden behind her porcelain mask.

“Because I created it,” she confessed. And when the next gust of wind blew, she’d flown off again.

 

The blue-haired lady ran towards them. Yu looked around to realise that most of the civilians in their immediate proximity were already gone. The lady had some sort of whip with peacock feathers out, like she was ready to fight.

“Ace-chan, are you alright?” she asked once she was close enough.

Ace scowled. Her hand twitched; she was going to put on her Hat but she’d remembered that it was gone. It was what she’d do whenever she was similarly frustrated, an action less of a habit than a reflex, ingrained and instinctual.

Her expression was enough of an answer for this ‘Vivi’. The blue-haired lady kept away her whip thingies and stared at where both the bird and hunter had disappeared to. “That’s a Smile,” she commented.

Yu wanted to smack his forehead. A Smile. Of course. Suhail looked confused, “A…smile?”

“That hunter is a Smile – an incomplete Zoan Fruit user,” Yu explained to him. He’d heard about them before, but he’d just never expected to see them in the flesh, or this side of the Red Line. All that was left from Kaido’s Smile army was contained in scattered areas in the New World, last he heard.

Vivi nodded slowly. “And all that get-up she was wearing. That scythe. I – I think I’ve heard somethings about her…She isn’t just any Smile user. She’s its inventor. She sold off the formula to Caesar Clown before disappearing after most of her island was destroyed.”

Suhail’s eyes had gone glassy. Yu could tell they had completely lost him. “Cool,” their navigator said.

Ace turned to the two of them, her face dark and eyes stormy. Before she even opened her mouth, Yu said, “Yea, yea. We’re crossing the entire desert for a hat.” He rolled his eyes and gave Ace a half-smile.

Suhail pumped a fist into the air, like he was trying to cheer himself up. “I love sand!” he declared.

Ace didn’t say anything. Instead, her scowl melted away and a smile slowly bloomed behind her eyes, the sun rising. A thankyou. An I’m-glad-you’re-here.

Vivi hid a chuckle behind a delicate hand. “Your crew is really something, Ace-chan,” she said.

In reply, Ace beamed, and said demurely, “They’re the best.”

Suhail turned into a blushing mess but Yu at least, tried his best not to preen. Some of them had a reputation to uphold, after all.

 

Ok. Turned out this whole piracy thing wouldn’t be teaching him only about the sea.

Did you know that sand could really fucking burn under your feet?

Did you know that cactus juice can make you hallucinate? (They found that out the hard way after Suhail broke open one in sheer desperation.)

Did you know that having dark hair really sucks when you had to stay under the sun the entire time?

Ace looked at him from the corner of her eyes. She was somehow managing the trip better than him despite the fact that she was wearing freaking straw sandals of all things.

 _Grouchy-pants_. She mouthed silently at him. Yu ignored her. He looked to side, to Suhail, because that was when he’d normally chime in with a bright snippy comment whenever Ace did this.

Suhail didn’t. He had just been staring down for the past few hours. He put one tentacle in front one at a time like mindlessly, like a drone, and Yu swallowed his concern. The faster they found that stupid bird, the faster they’d be out of here.

Yu hoped Ace knew where she was leading them. Suhail would usually be the one pointing out the direction, but his navigating skills were not exactly handy when there were no currents, sea breeze or stars for him to read. And he…really seemed out of it at the moment.

Yu didn’t even bother asking Ace about how she knew where that bird went. He knew her reply would be something like ‘my gut is telling me’, or ‘I can hear Hat’ and his poor heart really couldn’t handle any more stress.

Vivi said she’d catch up to them once she’d settled the civilians, because she seemed concerned about what such a prominent player in the previous Pirate Age was doing in Alabasta. So, Yu knew she’d come look for them. At least they wouldn’t be lost forever.

After what felt like fucking eons, when temperature was starting to drop, telling of the arrival of night time, Ace perked up. “There,” she breathed, and ran in front.

Yu hadn’t even heard anything, but he sprinted behind to follow.

 

The sounds of fighting, of blood-curdling caws and frustrated shouts, heralded another duel between the hunter and the bird.

The hunter stilled for a single moment when she saw them. “You…again,” she panted, too tired to even scold. She saved what was last of her breath to roll out of the bird’s next strike.

The bird finally saw them. It screeched, rearing up, like it was about to escape again. Yu’s eyes widened in dread. Fucking shit –

A wave of pure energy, unseen, unheard, crested like a soaring wave and broke over them. It stuttered something in Yu’s heart; but it wasn’t fear. It was pure awe and disbelief and faith and calm –

It was Ace.

It seemed to have the opposite effect on the monster. On it, gravity seemed to have intensified, and it dropped like a rock to the ground. It shook its head feebly, the last show of defiance, like it was fighting unconsciousness. It couldn’t even move when Ace walked right up to it.

Even the hunter had stopped in her tracts. “The colour of Conquerors,” she breathed.

Ace had walked into the bird’s space now, and although Yu’s hand spasm towards his sword, the bird did nothing except stepping backwards, shivering in the raw power emanating from Ace.

Ace reached out with a hand and took back Hat.

She put it on her head, back to where it belonged, like she was born to it, and turned back to the Hunter. “It’s your fight, isn’t it?” she asked.

The hunter startled. When she regained her senses, she nodded. The bird cawed now, screamed, once it was released from the strange spell cast over it.

It shook back its feathers, blood eyes glaring. A talon raised –

Two slices of a glinting crescent moon. The last dying words from a beak of a monster. And the bird fell to the ground.

 

The hunter withdrew, chest heaving, incredulity in her very bones.

“How many years had it been…?” she said faintly.

“At least…we got Hat back…” Suhail said in relief, swaying, then he passed out.

 

Suhail had Fishmen Fever. It was a condition predisposed to them, especially with an overexposure of heat and ultraviolet rays, which could easily penetrate their skin due to their lack of epidermis and dermis, causing an uncontrolled rise in body temperature.

When Yu asked how she knew so much about it, the hunter looked to the side. “An absolute grasp of humanoid physiology and biology is a necessary perquisite…before one wishes to temper with it,” she’d murmured. Whatever the hell that meant.

It was lucky Vivi came when she did, and they could get Suhail out of the sun and into some shade – more specifically, the shade of the Royal Palace, because Vivi was apparently the queen.

Yu blinked when he heard. But he pushed the fact to the corner of his mind first, out of worry for their navigator.

Suhail recovered well soon enough under the hunter’s expert care, aided by the palace doctors. It turned out he’d been feeling out of sorts since landing in Alabasta.

“Why. Didn’t you tell us?” Yu asked him through gritted teeth.

Suhail, even lying on the sick bed, was still celebrating Hat’s return with Ace with an odd dance. He stilled when he heard Yu’s reproaching words. A change came over his expression then – a wooden smile, a mask well-made and worn.

“If I couldn’t help with the fighting…I – I at least didn’t want…to slow you two down,” he said. His smile couldn’t seem to fit into the corners of his lips and his eyes, even though were looking at Yu, were unreadable. He made a fleeting glance at the quiet Ace. “I didn’t want Ace to regret bringing me along,” he whispered.

Ace stared at him. “Suhail, are you dumb?”

“Yea, we would be half-dead and lost still in the East Blue if it wasn’t for you, you moron,” Yu felt the need to add.

“…it was my fault,” Ace said suddenly. “I’m the captain. I…shoulda’ noticed earlier.”

Suhail shook his head vehemently. “Ace,” he said, sincerity in every word, every breath of the atoms of his being, so loyal their navigator. “Ace, joining this crew was the best thing to ever happen to me.”

From the corner of the room, a cough interrupted their little huddle. “I should get going,” the hunter said awkwardly.

“You should join our pirate crew.”

The world stilled, like it was listening, like it was tipping over a knife’s edge. Yu…thought he understood now, how Ace chose her crew members.

Yu looked at the hunter, at that lonesome soul. _You need us. Come see the world, how large it is._

The hunter froze, then she laughed. She laughed and laughed and laughed. When she came to her senses, she looked at them, and said, “Why the hell not?”

 

“My name is Eileen Delorme,” she told them in the end. “I was a researcher from the farming isle of Montpellier. In the never-ending drought, I sold the formula I perfected for artificial Zoan Fruits to Kaido’s underling – Caesar Clown, in the hopes that it might help my ailing village. But the payment never came. Instead, they sent one of their enforcers to our island to take what was left of my research, where he consumed a prototype in his greed. Thusly, the monster was born. There was nothing left of his humanity. He destroyed our island, and in repent, I ate a Crow Smile Fruit, and had been hunting him down ever since.”

Yu blinked. Well, okay then.

 

Vivi had a buffet spread waiting for them once Suhail was well enough to leave the room.

Yu found he had developed a habit now of wolfing whatever foodmatter that was placed in front of him. Pirates had no need for manners anyway. The queen was shockingly okay with their appalling lack of etiquette.

“So, this…Delorme is joining your crew?” he heard her asking Ace.

Ace bit into a huge slice of watermelon. “Uhn.”

A more common folk might have some objections to that, but Vivi only smiled. “I can see how you are your mother’s daughter,” she said fondly, and Ace positively beamed at that comparison.

Vivi sobered now, like an unpleasant thought was sitting at the edge of her tongue. She seemed conflicted, about whether she wanted to say it. “How…how is she, by the way?” she finally asked.

Ace tilted her head in confusion. “She’s fine…? She’s still sailing with Crew. They have their own adventure.”

Vivi gave a sigh of relief. “That’s good,” she said, laughing. “Of course, she’s fine. I don’t know why I believed…Your Mama’s – she’s invincible, isn’t she?”

Ace’s grin was so big it crinkled the corners of her eyes, endless. “She’s the strongest person in the world.”

 

* * *

To: Base

‘Younger Death’ sighted in Alabasta. Confirmed contact with Nefertari Vivi.

  1. Spade’s pirates: Chosen epithet for the crew of the ‘younger Death’. Believed to be a tribute to the late pirate, Portgas D. Ace.
  2. Eileen Delorme: ‘The crow’. Ex-researcher with ties to the previous Emperor Kaido. Now a doctor with the Spade’s pirates



The ‘False King’ have contracted the ‘Illness’. Currently in the early stage.

 

To: Immortal

Received. Prepare for first strike.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not happy with this chapter but I'm tired of fiddling with it. Might edit later


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